Kingdom Hearts: Past, Present, Future
by NightOwl9810
Summary: Set directly after 0.2 BBS. Will become more of a KH 3 story. Aqua finds another wielder in the Realm of Darkness. Shortly after, old friends reunite and the mysterious new wielder's past becomes a shocking revelation. But the past may just be what the friends need to look to in order to avoid the same mistakes in the future. Slight AU world-wise
1. Chapter 1- A New Beginning

Aqua walked briskly through the Enchanted Dominion, trying to make it back to the Castle Town. She was about to begin her hunt for any possible opening back to the Realm of Light.

As she made it back into the clearing in the thorny forest, a cloud of darkness appeared from out of seemingly nowhere. As the darkness spread, the center cleared slightly, and Aqua gasped as she saw a girl standing in the middle of the darkness. Her dead brown eyes stared blankly in front of her as she held her keyblade stiffly in a battle stance.

 _A Keyblade,_ Aqua thought, placing her hand over her heart. _So I haven't been alone down here? How long has she been here?_

Her questions remained unanswered, though, as the girl began to charge at Aqua, the darkness clinging to her form. Aqua summoned Master's Defense and barely blocked the attack. _I need to get this darkness off her,_ she thought as she pushed the girl back. The girl flipped backward to where she had appeared, crouching once again, ready to attack again.

Aqua fired a blast of light at the girl, trying to dispel the darkness. The girl blocked, and in response, flared her left hand to her side. Five medals appeared in a circle around her hand, three glinting gold in the darkness, two seeping purple with a similar dark energy to that around her.

She pointed two fingers at one of the medals, sliding it in front of her. A purple medal followed the path of her fingers, pulsing a dark energy before the girl launched herself at Aqua.

The girl didn't seem to touch the ground as she charged. Aqua prepared to Reflect, but was too slow. In a series of twists and flips, the girl pummeled Aqua with an attack that would have impressed—if not possibly worried—Master Eraqus.

The attack finished, and Aqua cartwheeled away, free from the grip of the attack. She cast Curaga quickly before the girl came at her with a swift regular attack that Aqua Reflected and countered. Aqua quickly hit the girl with a combo attack, as she had flinched at the counterattack. Aqua finished off the combo with a blast of light, not wanting to hurt the girl more than necessary.

What happened next was unexpected. The blast of light hit the girl unblocked, and it caused some of the darkness to dissipate. Her eyes focused, and she looked around in a panic at the darkness surrounding her. As the darkness closed back in on her, she clutched her head, crying out, "Chirithy! Chirithy, where are you?!" A final cry caught in her throat, the darkness once again surrounding her, the life once again leaving her eyes.

 _Got it!_ Master Aqua thought, understanding what must be done. She fired another blast of light in the girl's direction. She dodged, but it tore through part of the cloud that was surrounding her. Aqua fired again, this time the girl was unable to dodge, and it hit her squarely in the chest.

The darkness seemed to cower away from her, and her eyes refocused again. She seemed to notice Aqua for the first time, and a look of hope spread over her countenance as she tried to step forward. She reached a hand toward Aqua, another cry of help catching in her throat as the darkness once again took control.

Aqua felt a spark deep within her heart. With a shout to the sky, she summoned more light than she ever had before. "BEACON!"

Light exploded around Aqua, heading straight for the girl. It enveloped her, its warm glow banishing the rest of the darkness around her. The light dissipated, taking the darkness with it, and Aqua blinked, able to see the girl more clearly now.

Her soft brown eyes hid behind round glasses that perched firmly on the bridge of her nose. Her hair fell to her shoulders, her bangs reaching just above her eyes while two braids holding the front of her hair wrapped around to the back of her head. She wore a blue jumper with grey leggings and black boots. A pouch the shape of a Moogle's head sat at her left hip, the purple strap hugging her waist. A thin yellow scarf was wrapped loosely around her neck. A yellow wristband hugged her left wrist while her right hand held her keyblade.

Aqua blinked again, her gaze cutting to the girl's Keyblade. The guard was purple, the crosspiece a star with pieces spreading outward to serve as the guard's top. The keyblade neck was black with gold pieces spiraling up to the head, with the occasional star piece accenting the neck. The head of the keyblade appeared to be a golden star with purple accents, a sun shape topping off the keyblade's point.

The girl suddenly grabbed Aqua's attention when her keyblade disappeared in a flash of light. She fell to her knees, falling into unconsciousness as she hit the ground.

Aqua approached her cautiously at first, then ran to her when she didn't move. She knelt by the girl, touching her shoulder as she tried to pick her up, feeling a deep light resonating within her.

 _How long was she like that?_ Aqua wondered. _Alone in the darkness, she must not have known what to do._

Aqua pulled the girl onto her back, remembering the similar weight of Ven as she took him to safety. Her heart warmed by the memory, Aqua trudged forward through the rest of Enchanted Dominion, heading straight for Castle Town.


	2. Chapter 2- The Reunion

**Hi, everyone!**

 **So, this is slightly embarrassing, but I had no idea how to put in headers and footers in the story, so I wasn't able to explain what I wanted to at the beginning, but now I can tell you a little background, just to give you an idea on how the story elements will work.**

 **As I'm sure you already know, the mysterious new wielder (who you will get a name out of in this chapter) is from Daybreak Town. I am more familiar with the fighting elements of Unchained X/Union X (hence why she fought with medals), but will be using story elements from all three versions (X, Unchained X, Union X).**

 **Along with that, the wielder in question is my own character from the game. I tried to think of a different character design, but I've already grown familiar with her as a character, and it would just be awkward trying to morph a different character into one that's already right in front of me. Also, to make it more fun, you guys who are also familiar with the mobile app can pretend it's your own character if you'd like.**

 **Also...Spoiler Warning!: This chapter includes details from the Cinderella world in Union X! You have been warned!**

 **So, enough with that. I'll see you guys at the end of the chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

Aqua exited Enchanted Dominion, coming across the Castle of Dreams, with the Castle Town right across the bridge that had thankfully remained intact. She briskly crossed the bridge, hiking up the cobblestone hill to reach the fountain at the center of the town. She carefully lowered the girl off her back, leaning her against the fountain.

Sighing, Aqua sat, her back resting on the cold stone of the fountain. She glanced at the girl, seeing her chin resting on her chest, her breathing calm and even. She smiled, her gaze reaching to the sky miles above her, stars crossing her vision as they continued their endless cycle through the dark abyss.

Her mind flashed back to looking at similar shooting stars with Terra and Ven, to Ven's eyes alight in wonder and Terra's small smile as he enjoyed his friends' company. Lost in her daydream, Aqua didn't notice when she herself had fallen asleep.

* * *

Aqua was suddenly aroused when she felt movement next to her. She awoke immediately, seeing the girl next to her stirring. She squirmed, her hand rising to scratch her face as sleepy eyes blinked open. Upon seeing where she was, she froze, mixed emotions passing through her expression.

"Hello," Aqua said. The girl jumped, giving a startled cry. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to startle you," Aqua said hastily, reaching for the girl.

The girl breathed a laugh, replying, "No, it's okay." She smiled brightly at Aqua. "Thanks for helping me back there. I don't exactly know how long I was like that." Her eyes drifted to the ground as she spoke.

Aqua smiled at her shyness. "It's no problem. In a way, I'm kind of relieved I found you. I thought I was the only one down here for the longest time."

The girl' gaze returned to Aqua, and she gave her a sympathetic smile. "I'm Aqua, by the way," Aqua said, holding her hand out to the girl. "What's your name?"

"Nightly," the girl replied, giving Aqua her hand.

"Well, Nightly," Aqua replied, "if you're feeling any better, we should get going. I've been trying to find a way out of here."

"Out of here?" Nightly asked. "What do you mean? Where are we?"

Aqua's brow furrowed in confusion. "You don't know where we are?" Nightly responded in a shrug, shaking her head. Aqua sighed sadly. "We're in the Realm of Darkness. This place specifically is called Castle Town, right by the Castle of Dreams."

Nightly's eyes lit up. "Cinderella's town?" She hesitated, connecting the dots. "Oh," she breathed.

"Yeah," Aqua replied sadly. "So you know Cinderella?" she inquired.

Nightly nodded in response. "I had to deliver a message to her house." In spite of herself, a smile crept its way onto her face. "When I made it to her house, I tried to open the door with my Keyblade; but before I could, Chirithy appeared and-" she cut herself off, falling immediately into silence.

"What's wrong?" Aqua questioned, gazing at the bewildered face beside her. Remembering, she added, "You mentioned someone earlier named-uh, what was it?-"

"Chirithy," Nightly answered. "My best friend. I haven't seen them since I came here."

Aqua looked at the girl's crestfallen face, and smiled. "We'll find them. Before we leave this place. We'll make sure they come with us."

Hope flooded Nightly's features, and her gaze lifted to meet Aqua's eyes. A smile lit up her face. "Thank you," she said.

"No need to thank me," Aqua replied. "I'd never leave anyone behind if I could help it."

"Me either" Nightly agreed. She popped up, offering a hand to Aqua. Smiling, Aqua accepted, and Nightly pulled her to her feet.

The two began walking, heading once again to the bridge dividing the town from the castle. Just before they would have stepped on, Aqua stopped, her head tilting as she strained her ears. Noticing, Nightly stopped a few feet in front of her. "What is it?"

"I thought I heard something," Aqua replied. Three heartbeats passed. Four. "There!"

Nightly's head tilted as well, trying to hear what Aqua heard. She gasped, "I hear it!"

"It's coming from the town," Aqua said. "Let's go!"

The two ran back up the hill toward the fountain, the sound becoming more audible. The voice behind the noise tickled Aqua's and Nightly's memories.

"Hello?" Aqua cried into the void. The voice that replied was louder, clearer. Still incoherent, the voice came from the entrance of the Town, rebounding off the empty buildings as it came closer. Aqua called out again.

A small figure jumped down from a piece of the road, landing on a building. It was followed by a larger figure, landing in the same place. "Aqua!" shouted a small, high-pitched voice.

"Mickey!" both girls cried happily, finally able to pinpoint the voice to the face in their memories.

The smaller figure jumped down from the building, followed by the larger one, and before Aqua and Nightly stood Mickey and a silver-haired young man. The mouse's usual cheery red attire had taken a dark turn, a black jacket with a few silver star-shaped highlights and red trim fitting over similar shorts, the rolled-up hems held up with tiny silver belts, black shoes where the yellow used to be.

Similarly, the man wore a black short-sleeved jacket over a white tank top. A black belt held up a pair of dark blue jeans which covered part of his black and white shoes.

"Aqua, we found ya!" the mouse cried with glee. The two met in an embrace. The man behind them stood awkwardly, looking between Aqua and Nightly, concerned eyes locking onto Nightly.

"Mickey," he questioned slowly, "I thought only Master Aqua was here."

"Oh," Aqua said, breaking away from Mickey. "This is Nightly. I found her in the darkness and helped her out." Nightly gave a small, shy smile and wave.

"Master Aqua," the man said, approaching Aqua. "I have to thank you for your help from about a year ago. We wouldn't have been able to seal the door if it weren't for you."

Aqua smiled, looking up at the man she once knew as a little boy having fun on the beach with his best friend. "You don't have to thank me for anything, Riku."

Riku returned the smile. Looking to both girls again, he declared, "Well, I think you two have been down here long enough. What do you say we get you two out of here?"

"Wait!" Nightly exclaimed. "What about my friend?"

"Oh, that's right," replied Aqua.

"What?" Mickey asked.

"I promised Nightly we wouldn't leave without her friend," Aqua explained. "They were lost to darkness the same time she was. We were about to go find them when the two of you showed up."

Mickey smiled up at Nightly. "Well, don't worry, Nightly, we're not leaving anyone behind this time. Of course we'll help ya find your friend."

Nightly's face brightened. "I don't know how to thank you enough."

"Getting everyone out of here for good will be thanks enough," Riku replied.

Nightly giggled gleefully, "Well, let's go!" Unable to contain her excitement, she took off away from the fountain, toward the bridge.

Riku sighed. "Well, she's a ball of energy." He threw a glance at Mickey. "Just like someone else we know, huh?" He looked again to the quickly disappearing Nightly. "I'll make sure she stays out of trouble if you two want to catch up."

Aqua chucked. "If you don't mind."

Riku gave a wry smile, taking off after Nightly.

Aqua looked to Mickey. "So, how long has it been since we last met?"

"This time, only a little over a year," Mickey replied happily.

"That's good," Aqua sighed. She hummed, smiling. "Riku's grown up a lot, hasn't he?"

"Yup," Mickey replied, chuckling. "He and Sora helped save the world's a second time after I left, although some things happened before that, too."

"Really?" asked Aqua, looking to where Riku and Nightly had taken off. "How about we walk and talk? So we can at least try to keep pace with them?"

Nodding, Mickey replied, "Good idea." The two began walking. "Hopefully I'll have time to explain everything."

"I hope so, too," Aqua replied as the two trekked down the hill, ready to hear the year's worth of stories her friend had to tell.

* * *

 **And that's it for that chapter! I really meant for this to be out sooner, but I haven't had much time between work and getting ready for college come fall. That being said, I will try to update every couple of weeks or so, a month being the absolute latest (hopefully!).**

 **Next chapter will have a conversation between Riku and Nightly that will lead to confusion and uncover some secrets of the past. (Big shocker for those who know Union X, I know!)**


	3. Chapter 3- Confusion

**Hey, everyone!** **I'm back with another update! Enjoy!**

 **Slight Spoiler Warning: I reference a conversation between Chirithy and the Player in Cinderella's House.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts**

* * *

Riku huffed, pressing on to catch up to Nightly. He caught her at the gate, matching her stride.

"So what does Chirithy look like?" Riku questioned, wanting to get an idea of whom they were looking for.

Nightly slowed near the base of the castle. Catching her breath, she gasped, "Kinda like a cat...but not as mean...and nasty." She leaned over, hands on knees, clearly winded despite her determination to keep going.

Riku's brow furrowed in confusion. "Hold on. A cat?"

"They're not actually a cat," Nightly replied. "They're..." she trailed off, thinking. Coming up with no other answer, she stated, "They're just a Chirithy."

"But what _is_ a Chirithy?"

Nightly began to walk again. Riku follwed as she answered, "Chirithies are guides given to wielders who live in Daybreak Town. They help us out and give advice when we need it. Chirithy taught me how to go to other worlds."

"Where's Daybreak Town? I don't think I've ever been there."

Nightly hesitated. "I'm not sure how to get there actually. When the keyblade chose me, I was at a weird pillar and had to choose my Union, then I just appeared there."

"So it's not your homeworld?"

Nightly paused again, her head tilting to the side. "I don't remember my homeworld. I don't think anyone in Daybreak Town did." She shrugged. "It doesn't matter anyway, I consider Daybreak Town my home."

"Huh," Riku replied, intrigued by what he was hearing. Wielders with no memory of their lives before the Keyblade? Then he remembered something and asked, "What was that thing you mentioned? Union?"

"Oh, yeah," Nightly jumped on a log, balancing as she said, "Everyone in Daybreak Town belongs to a Union. There's Unicornis, lead by Master Ira; Leopardos, lead by Master Gula; Anguis, lead by Master Invi; Ursus, lead by Master Aced; and Vulpes, lead by Master Ava." She jumped down, walking next to Riku again. "I belong to the Vulpes Union."

Riku, still trying to process this strange setup, replied, "So, Master Ava is your leader?"

"Yes," Nightly replied cheerfully. But then her smile vanished, and her sudden crestfallen gaze shifted to the ground.

"You alright?" Riku asked. When no response came, he put a hand on her shoulder.

She jumped at the sudden touch, comong out of her trance. "Hm?"

"Are you okay?" Riku asked again.

Nightly just stared for a second, then slowly nodded. "Yes. I'm okay. Just thinking." She began walking again.

Trying to distract her, Riku asked, "So, what Union do you think I'd belong in?"

"Unicornis," she immediately replied.

Riku chuckled. "How's that?"

Nightly gave him a sly look. "You're a lot like Master Ira."

"Oh, really?" Riku inquired, returning the look with a smirk.

Nightly nodded, her whole body seeming to join in the motion. When she looked back up at Riku, though, her smile vanished again, and ahe stared at Riku in shock.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing!" she shouted, quickly turning away from him, trying to figure out what she just saw. Her heart wanted to say it was a dream, but her head couldn't dismiss how real it was.

Because when she looked up at him, it was Master Ira, mask and all, meeting her gaze.

"Hey!" a voice called from behind Riku and Nightly.

"Oh, hey," Riku replied, greeting Mickey and Aqua.

Aqua hesitated, her gaze drifting to Nightly, who had yet to turn around. "Is she okay?"

"Um.." Riku joined her gaze. "I'm not sure. She said a few things about her hometown, then clammed up."

"Oh," Mickey perked up curious. "Where _are_ ya from, Nightly?"

"She said a world called Daybreak Town," Riku replied for Nightly, who had still not turned around.

Mickey made a shocked sound. "D-Daybreak Town?"

"Yeah, do you know it?" Riku asked, glancing at Aqua as she approached Nightly. "Have you been there?"

"I've heard of it," Mickey answered, watching Aqua, about to place her hand on here shoulder, quietly asking Nightly if she was alright. "As to have I been there: no. No I haven't."

"She said she never knew how to get there," Riku stated. As Aqua regained Nightly's attention, he "It kinda made me think she never left. But then again, she has knowledge of other worlds, so she had to have, right?"

"Maybe," Mickey said slowly, his finger crooked at his chin, lost in thought. Riku recognized this in his friend, and instead turned his attention to Aqua's efforts with Nightly. Aqua managed to get her to smile and talk again, but there was still trouble in her eyes. When Aqua turned back to Riku, Nightly hesitated before looking at him. But when she finally did, relief settled on her face, and her smile became genuine.

"You alright now?" Riku asked Nightly, who nodded, her whole body seeming to move with the motion.

"I'm sorry about that," she apologized. "I've been having weird dreams since...um..." she trailed off again, the same far-away look entering her eyes.

"Since...what?" Aqua cautiously asked. Nightly's brow furrowed in thought.

"Nightly," Mickey said, pulling her attention out of whatever thought process she was just going through. "You said you're from Daybreak Town?" Again, she nodded, but this time with just her head.

"Yes, why?" Nightly returned.

"Nothing," Mickey replied, rather suspiciously. "I just know someone who may be able to help you get back there, is all."

"Really?" Nightly asked hopefully, her eyes lighting up.

Mickey nodded, a smile of his own forming, though not as wide as it would normally be. "The Master who trained me, Master Yen Sid, he once mentioned something about Daybreak Town. I'm sure he can help ya."

Nightly drew a slow, excited breath, the light in her eyes only getting brighter. "Thank you so much!" she shouted happily. Then she sobered, remembering once again, "Oh, but we need to get Chirithy first." She whirled around, beginning to run again. "Chirithy! Chirithy!" she called, running away into the woods.

"Nightly," Aqua laughed, running after her. Riku hung behind with Mickey, looking his way.

"Can Master Yen Sid really help her?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," Mickey replied, his eyes following the two girls as they disappeared into the woods. "He didn't talk about it much, just a couple times, and I never thought to ask any questions. But from what I do remember, what happened to it, well...it wasn't pretty."

Riku hummed, also looking after the girls. "That would explain why she got so quiet suddenly. She was probably remembering something that happened." He paused, then added, 'But if that's the case, why does she want to go back so badly?"

"She probably has friends she wants to get back to," Mickey concluded. "Maybe they can help her, far more than we can."

Riku sighed. "I hope so. Her heart seems strong, I can't imagine what happened to make her feel so sad."

Now it was Mickey's turn to hum. He closed his eyes, a new fire in them when they opened. "We should get going," he said.

They didn't need a second invitation, however, when they heard a scream coming from up ahead.

* * *

 **And that's chapter three! Hope you guys enjoyed!**

 **Okay, so, anyone else super psyched for the reveal of the 5th leader? I know I am! I can't wait to see where her story goes! I seriously smell a plot twist. I don't know what exactly, but let me tell you, something's definitely up.**

 **Yes, I'm using the Foreteller Rebirth theory, but it won't end up being the way you're thinking. Also, I know it's confusing right now, but there's a reason her heart said it was a dream. All will be explained in the future, so stay tuned!**

 ***sighs* On that note, I'm not entirely sure when the next update will be. I'm moving into my college dorm Sunday and wanted to get this out before then. Please have patience with me, guys! Thanks!**

 **Of course, next chapter will reveal the source and reason behind the scream, and bittersweet tears will be shed.**

 **So let me know what you guys think! I'll see you soon!**

 **P.S.-Part of this was done on my phone, so there may be a couple spelling errors I missed when editing. If you find one, please let me know and I will be sure to fix it.**


	4. Chapter 4- Rescue

**Hey everyone! I'm back with another update! Enjoy!**

 **Spoiler Warning: I recreate a fight that occurs in X[chi].**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts.**

* * *

She hit the ground on her back, scrambling to get away. The creature before her swung its head to find its adversary, who had tripped in the middle of dodging it.

"Nightly!" Aqua called.

"Stay back!" Nightly yelled back from across the field. Her voice drew the attention of the beast, and its red eyes narrowed at the sight of her. "I've got this," she said, more to herself than anyone.

"Nightly!" cried Riku, who had suddenly revealed himself from the brush. He began to run to her.

"Don't you dare!" Nightly screamed at him. The creature, taking an interest in its new challenger, stampeded towards Riku.

Riku stopped as he saw this, summoning his Keyblade to face this new foe. His eyes were drawn to a symbol on the creature's chest. "Huh?" Before he could question further, several colorful stars fell from the sky and exploded onto the Nightmare.

As the Nightmare, infuriated, turned to see what interrupted its charge, Riku saw Nightly, standing, her Keyblade pointed to the Nightmare, a steel gaze turning her happy-go-lucky face deadly serious.

"Eyes on me, Chirithy."

"Chirithy?" Aqua asked, taken back by what she just heard. Riku's and Mickey's expressions matched hers, staring at the Spirit-turned-Nightmare, about to face its best friend.

"Chirithy," Nightly began slowly, not lowering her Keyblade, but her gaze softening, "it's me. It's Nightly, I'm here."

Chirithy responded with a yowl, lunging at Nightly and scratching at her. She cried out in pain, jumping backwards to avoid taking further damage. She splayed her fingers, pulled a medal forward, and threw herself at the Nightmare, seeming to fly across the ground. Aqua recognized the move before it landed: a red beam appearing in Nighty's left hand while her Keyblade took on a red surrounding light. Thirteen hits landed on the Nightmare, Nightly twisting and turning in the air with every swing of the Keyblade.

She flew back, digging her toe into the ground and once again throwing herself at Chirithy, landing a single hit before jumping back to safety. Barely wincing at the two attacks, Chirithy jumped at Nightly, landing another swipe with its foot-long claws.

Nightly stumbled, grunting as she fell on her bottom. She pulled herself back, preparing another string of attacks. "Talk about déjà vu," she muttered to herself. She activated another Special Attack, and launched herself into the air. She threw her wind-coated Keyblade down to the Nightmare. Just as it began to curve upward, she teleported to the opposite side of the Nightmare, caught her Keyblade, and sent it back. Six more times this happened, each time faster until she caught it from the ground and delivered a finishing blow.

Landing at a safe distance, she felt her Special Attack Power had been depleted. She swallowed, charging the Nightmare with four blows. On the fourth, her Keyblade locked with the Nightmare's claws. She looked into the bloodthirsty eyes of her best friend. "Please, Chirithy," she said. "You can fight it. Please, let me help."

Her plea went unconsidered. The Nightmare threw her back, and there to catch her were thorny strings of darkness purple as the Nightmare's fur. Upon contact, they wrapped around Nightly, holding her suspended and immobile. She struggled in the binds, stiffening when the Nightmare rose up with its wings. Turning into a ball of darkness, it hurled itself at Nightly.

Aqua and Riku and Mickey watched the scene unfold in front of them. Landing multiple hits, the Nightmare returned to its original form. The darkness released Nightly, but instead of landing on her feet to keep going, she slowly fell backward, her back arched as she just floated in midair, unconscious.

Aqua put her hand forward; the field that had kept them back during the fight had dispersed. "Come on!" she shouted to the boys, sprinting forward and putting herself between Nightly and the Creature of Darkness. Summoning Master's Defense, she pointed her Keyblade over Nightly and cried, "Heal!"

Green light surrounded the young wielder, and in a small burst of light, she was flipped back onto her feet, fully awake. She summoned Starlight again, preparing to fight. She blinked, realizing Aqua, Riku, and Mickey were all there with her. "Huh? Guys, what are you doing here?"

"Helping you," Riku replied. "And you're not going to tell us 'no' this time."

Nightly tried to think of a protest, but thought better of it. A smile crept its way onto her face. She chuckled. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Mickey replied. His attention settling on the Nightmare, he added, "Let's get your friend back!"

Nightly nodded in response. "Watch out for those dark strings," she advised. "They don't let go until he attacks." She then muttered to herself, "Man, I wish I equipped more defense boosts."

Her comment to herself went unheard. Riku rushed the Nightmare, Mickey at his heels. Riku jumped, slashing down on the Nightmare, pulling its attention to him while Mickey delivered a similar blow to its back. The Nightmare, infuriated, howled into the sky, throwing out its claws in a spinning attack, hitting both wielders multiple times.

Nightly's eyebrows rose and she pointed a half-hearted finger at the Nightmare. "That's new," she squeaked.

"Okay," Aqua said, taking what Nightly said into consideration, "looks like we've made it mad."

"Yep," Nightly replied. She shook her head, clearing it, taking a deep breath, ready to fight again. "Let's go."

"Okay," Aqua readied herself, pulling her Keyblade back as she charged the Creature of Darkness. She fired a blast of ice at the beast, freezing it, but not for long. As she jumped to deliver a downward slash, the Dark Creature broke free from the ice, blocking her as it did so. Connecting with hand instead of head like she planned, Aqua was thrown off balance and away from the Creature. She landed and slid on her side, clutching her shoulder painfully as she sat back up. She looked up to see Riku fire some sort of dark fire attack at the Creature of Darkness, with Mickey running toward her.

"Are ya okay?" he asked. She nodded, pulling herself to her feet.

"Riku, Nightly," she called. "Get back!" The two younger wielders saw her raise her Keyblade and obeyed, just as Aqua activated her Lightbloom Shotlock.

The Nightmare caught sight of its next challenger. Not wanting Aqua to lose her focus, Riku stayed back, but anxiously, at that, when he saw it charging her. Even Mickey instinctively took a couple steps back at the monstrous Nightmare rapidly approaching. He looked to Aqua, blinking when he saw her smiling calmly.

Suddenly, a ring of light surrounded Aqua. She began spinning, starting low to the ground and reaching higher and higher as she went, her dizzying twirls only getting faster and faster. All the while, shots of light fired from all around her, each and every one heading directly for the Nightmare.

By the time she had finished the Shotlock, the Creature of Darkness was stopped in its tracks and had fallen due to the volley of shots that were sent its way. And yet, without a moment's hesitation, the Creature got back up again; though this time, it appeared to be wobbly on its knees.

"Time to end this," Mickey said. Aqua nodded, crying out as all four rushed the Creature of Darkness.

All four jumped in the air, Mickey being the first to shoot back down, landing a blow to the confused Nightmare. Riku followed, his Keyblade coated in a dark fire as he slashed down. Landing on his feet, he threw his Keyblade at the Nightmare in a secondary Fire Raid attack. Aqua dove with Keyblade extended onto the Creature, twisting at a breakneck pace through the air. She rebounded off its head, flipping and landing on her feet, sending an ice attack the Creature's way.

Tired of being hit, the Nightmare threw its head back in a roar. Its eyes landed on Nightly, its original adversary. Nightly hesitated, her original plan of attack leaving her mind. In that single second, the Nightmare jumped into the air, swiping down on Nightly, sending her shooting to the ground. A small cloud of dust floated around where she landed, and her Keyblade disappeared from her hand.

"Nightly!" Riku shouted, seeing the Nightmare beginning to throw itself down to land on her. Before he could act, a cold breeze blew past his shoulder, and a large piece of ice shot toward Nightly, leaving a trail of ice behind it.

Aqua, riding the ice trail, breezed past Riku. She crouched as she approached Nightly, grabbing the barely conscious girl from the path of the Creature of Darkness. She jumped off her ice trail just as the Creature landed, sending an earth-shaking shockwave around it along with a much larger cloud of dust.

Aqua cast a quick healing spell over Nightly, sat up as soon as the words left Aqua's mouth. She scrambled back to her feet, albeit a little clumsily. Aqua caught her as she swayed to the side.

"Hey, take it easy," Aqua said, trying to keep her from once again approaching the Creature. Nightly just shook her head, her eyes focused on Riku and Mickey, currently keeping the Nightmare Chirithy distracted. She splayed her left hand, her Keyblade reappearing in her right.

"Stay here," she said. She gave Aqua a quick smile before running off toward the Nightmare. Aqua reached a hand after her, her words catching in her throat.

 _She must be up to_ something, she thought. Deciding to trust Nightly, she hung back, waiting for whatever Nightly had planned.

"Get back!" Riku heard Nightly shout. His head snapped to her, seeing her grab a ball of energy at the center of her five medals. "Move!" she yelled.

"Mickey!" Riku barked. He ran to Mickey, grabbing him as Mickey gave a surprised shout. Making it to the edge of the area, he watched Nightly clap whatever she was holding onto the crosspiece of her Keyblade.

The red, fiery light surrounded her Keyblade. Right in front of the Nightmare, Nightly pointed it to the sky, and with a sharp flick of the wrist, twisted it ninety degrees clockwise. The light shot up to the tip of the Keyblade, bursting in a small red and yellow light. It collapsed on itself, before brilliantly exploding in a white, blinding light. Even with his eyes closed, Riku could see the light take up his vision.

As soon as it came, the light disappeared. His eyes blinking open, tiny fireflies swam in Riku's vision as he could just make out Nightly, crouched with her head covered right where the blast had taken place. The Nightmare, as far as he could see, was nowhere to be found. He put down Mickey just as Nightly popped up from her crouched position.

She threw her head to the sky, a hand following suit. "Chirithy!" she called.

Riku looked up, seeing the Nightmare. But it was...shrinking? Yes, it was. A blanket of light was slowly engulfing the Nightmare, and a small ball of darkness shot away from the beast, floating away into the nothingness.

The once-Nightmare shrank until it was smaller than Mickey. All at once, the light dispersed, and a small creature had appeared in its place. It was cat-like, dark gray fur accenting fur of a lighter shade. Its blue eyes were slits, suggesting they were closed. A pink nose dotted a white patch of fur for its mouth that led down to its belly. As it descended, Riku could see the familiar pink symbol on Chirithy's back.

"A Spirit," Riku said. Mickey looked at him, nodding. He had seen the symbol too.

"So Chirithy's a Dream Eater," Mickey said.

"Yeah," Riku replied, "but...what's a Dream Eater doing outside of a dream? They shouldn't be able to come to reality."

Mickey hummed, coming to the same realization. Turning back to Nightly and Chirithy, they watched as some of the light that dispersed a moment ago settle onto Chirithy's shoulders, and a pink pouch with a white star appeared on its front, while a light yellow cape appeared on its back. Just a foot away from her best friend, Nightly stood on her toes, trying to reach them. Just a little more.

Her fingers brushed their cape, and Chirithy's descent ended in Nightly's embrace. She cradled Chirithy, a smile on her face and tears in her eyes. Her breathed hitched in her throat when she saw them open their eyes. Their paws sleepily rubbed their face, and soft moaning escaped their mouth. Blinking, they looked up into the Nightly's waiting gaze. "Nightly...?"

"Hi," she greeted, tears in her voice. She pulled Chirithy into a tight hug, burying her face into their head. Chirithy gave a small gasp of surprise, before settling their paws around Nightly's neck.

"I'm alright, kiddo," they said calmly. "I don't know what happened. I just...I'm sorry, kiddo, please don't cry. Remember? It makes me sad when you're sad."

Nightly giggled, pulling away to look her best friend in the eye. "You don't have to be sorry for anything. And I'm not sad," she added, rubbing away her tears, "I'm happy. I'm so happy." She grinned, a chuckle bubbling from her chest.

A movement caught Chirithy's attention. "Who's that?" they asked.

Nightly turned to where they were looking, seeing Aqua approach the two. Smiling, Nightly introduced her friend. "This is Chirithy," She said, turning so Aqua could see them.

Aqua returned the smile, bending to see Chirithy face-to-face. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Aqua."

"Hi," Chirithy replied.

"Oh, and that's Riku and Mickey," Nightly pointed out, turning so Chirithy could see the other two approaching them.

"Hello," Chirithy greeted. Riku paused, blinked, then returned the greeting with a somewhat strained smile and wave.

Chirithy looked around, noticing where they were. "Uh...where are we?"

"Oh!" Nightly replied, realizing Chirithy may not remember what happened. "We're in the Realm of Darkness. Remember that world we were in last?"

"Um...Enchanted Dominion?" Chirithy guessed.

"Yes," Nightly answered. "Well, while we were there, it fell to darkness, and took the two of us with it."

Chirithy looked thoughtful for a moment. "But I thought...we headed back to Daybreak Town."

Nightly's brow furrowed in thought. "We were about to," she said, "but we didn't get to, because this happened." She gestured around her, indicating the darkness surrounding the world.

"Right, and you were trying to fight the darkness," Chirithy finished. Nightly nodded.

"Now we can go home," Riku said. "We just have to find a way out of here."

"Right," Aqua replied, nodding. She looked to Nightly, who grinned and nodded as well. Chirithy settled into their best friend's arms as the five once again began to traverse the Realm of Darkness, hopeful in the light of their approaching escape.

* * *

 **And that's the next chapter! I meant for this to be out sooner than this, but college, life, and writer's block got in the way. Sorry!**

 **That being said, I'm not sure when I'll be able to get the next chapter out. School is in full swing and I'm gonna have to focus more on school. This story will continue, it just might be about a month before the next chapter is out. Please be patient with me guys!**

 **On another note...I so called it. Didn't I tell you guys I smelt a plot twist?! Although...I didn't expect it to be _that_. *sniffles*. But like a lot of people are saying, we'll see Strelitzia again. I had an awesome idea and it will be incorporated into this story. Part of that idea: I think Strelitzia is the "goddess" the Player sees at the end of X...**

 **Let me know what y'all think of that!**

 **Well, I hope you guys liked this chapter! Next chapter, Nightly will come face-to-face with just how much time has passed while she was in the Realm of Darkness. Will it be more than she can take, or will it reveal hidden truths? Find out next time!**


	5. Chapter 5- Return

**Hey, guys!**

 **So, if you guys have been watching the news and know about Irma…yeah…**

 **I'm fine! My campus had to evacuate because we're in one of the coastal areas that were hit. I'm back now, but with trying to catch up on schoolwork and hunkering down for the hurricane and an annoying case of writer's block, I just haven't been able to work on this story for about a week. But now I'm cracking down!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Spoiler Warning: A very similar feelsy scene from a very feelsy game is in your future.**

* * *

The clash of metal on metal shone through the arena. Two redheads jumped back from each other, panting, readying their next attacks towards their rival. One, a tall, lanky man with mischievous green eyes motioned a "bring it on" with his hand. The second, a petite young woman with kind, patient blues, gave a knowing smile, shaking her head before stepping up to the challenge.

She ran to her rival, raising her Keyblade and striking down his, meeting the blade in a block. They locked eyes, the fun, excited energy obvious between the two. Before her rival could jump back and recover, she jumped to the side, bouncing on the ball of her foot and catapulting towards his back.

He tried to block, but in the fray was tripped by his own feet. Instead of blocking, he succeeded in sending himself to the floor, just in time for her Keyblade to land a hit to his stomach. He was sent sprawling, and from the floor called out with a laugh in his voice, "I give up."

"And that's the match!" declared Merlin, a wise old wizard overseeing the training of the two new wielders.

Recovering, the man stood up, clutching his stomach. He chuckled, "Heh, nice one Kairi."

The girl in question jabbed a fist into the man's side. He gave a holler, now clutching both his side and his stomach. "What was that for?"

"I know you did that on purpose, Lea," she replied.

"Aw, come on," Lea nagged. "Do you really think I'd hurt a Princess of Light?"

"Xehanort won't care and won't hold back," Kairi retorted. She stomped away, kindly thanking Merlin as she exited the sparring area. Lea lagged behind, watching his newfound friend go. She had been worrying so much lately. They had only been friends for…a couple months? It was hard to tell, time moved weird here. He sighed. _I know Yen Sid wanted us to go somewhere 'temporally flexible',_ he thought, _but did it have to be...so trippy?_

It was true. The Mirage Arena sat in a multicolored, ever-swirling bubble of light protecting its inhabitants from the outside space. And it was exactly that that made him uneasy. _Man, I miss roads. And buildings. Even seeing the sun would be nice for once instead of this weird light._

He paused, remembering older, simpler times. An idea forming in his mind, Lea swallowed the rest of his pain, grinning as he jogged to his temporary mentor.

* * *

Kairi trekked to another part of the Mirage Arena, thinking about which round of fighting she wanted to do next. _I know I've just had a big fight, but I need to work hard to catch up with Sora and Riku,_ she determined.

At the thought of her friends, she came to a stop to the machine that generated the false fights. She looked longingly at the sky, gazing at the same stars she grew up knowing. _Don't wait up on me,_ she thought, _I'll catch up._

"Hey, Kairi!" Lea called out. She turned, seeing him slow and stop right in front of her. She stayed silent as he continued, "Merlin said we could take a break and leave for a little while. I was wondering if you'd like to come somewhere with me."

Kairi's eyebrows furrowed in curiosity. "Where?"

Lea smirked, a glint sparking in his eyes. "It's a surprise."

Kairi sighed, a smile curling her lips. "Okay, fine. It'd be nice to take a little vacation."

"Alright, then, let's go," Lea replied, heading to the gate leading outside of the Mirage Arena.

Kairi began to run after him; he was a pretty fast walker. "Hey, Lea," she questioned, catching up to him, her curiosity getting the best of her, "can you at least give me a hint for where we're going?"

Lea chuckled, stopping with one hand on his hip and the other scratching the back of his head. He threw a smirk back at Kairi. "Think of it as the icing on the cake." He barked out a laugh as Kairi protested against the so-called, nonexistent "hint".

* * *

Aqua's heels crunched onto gray sand, her eyes taking in the familiar sight of the dark ocean as the party of five trudged onto the shore of the Dark Margin.

"Finally," Riku sighed.

"We're here?" Nightly asked, letting out a yawn. The more they had walked, the more the group had noticed the increasing drowsiness of their youngest member. Her eyes blinked sleepily, seeing the ocean. As if a switch had been flipped, she gasped in excitement, her eyes wide open, hugging Chirithy tightly to her chest.

"What?" Aqua asked in confusion.

"The ocean," Nightly replied breathlessly.

"The last time we saw it, Nightly was with a group of her friends. They were taking a day off from their daily missions," Chirithy clarified.

"I bet'cha you're ready to get back to them, aren't'cha?" Mickey asked.

Nightly nodded, a faraway look entering her eyes, her smile disappearing, her face drooping. "What's wrong?" Riku asked, noticing the sudden change.

"N-nothing," Nightly replied, shaking her head a pulling a smile back onto her face. "I just…had a disagreement with a couple of my friends before I got trapped here. It's…actually the reason I was here when the world fell to darkness in the first place. I ran away so we'd stop arguing for a little bit."

Aqua smiled sympathetically at the young girl, knowing how hard it is to be in an argument with one's best friends. "I'm sure you'll make up. They'll be so happy to see you again, they probably won't even remember what you were arguing about."

"What _were_ you disagreeing about, if you don't mind my asking?" Riku asked, concern filling his eyes.

"Oh, nothing too important," Nightly shrugged, a smile plastered on her face. "I'm sure we'll talk through it once we see each other again."

"That's the spirit!" Aqua said happily. "Now let's figure out a way out of here."

"We already know," Mickey replied. "Sora and Riku figured it out when they came here a little while ago. The connection between you and your friends will bring you back to the Realm of Light through the light in your hearts."

"Oh, really?" Aqua asked teasingly. "That easy, huh?" Mickey nodded, Aqua smiling back. She sighed, closing her eyes, pulling every memory she could of Ven and Terra, her heart aching with the pain of missing them while at the same time warmed with all the times they spent together.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she was blinded by a sudden sliver of light.

* * *

"This is where you wanted to take me?" Kairi asked awestruck, her eyes drinking in the stunning colors of twilight.

Lea smiled knowingly at her, taking a seat on the ledge of the clock tower. "Are you gonna sit down?"

Kairi shook her head, pulling herself out of her trance. "Oh, yeah." She sat next to Lea, carefully letting her legs dangle over the edge of the clock tower. Her eyes relocked onto the sunset before her, unable to look away.

She barely registered Lea's next word. "Here," he said, a tinge of humor in his voice.

"Huh?" Kairi asked absentmindedly. She looked to see a blue…popsicle? "Um…"

Lea chuckled. "It's ice cream. Sea Salt ice cream."

"Oh," Kairi replied, taking the ice cream on a stick, examining it.

"Go on, try it," Lea encouraged. Kairi tentatively took a bite. She recoiled, the clashing yet complimenting flavors simultaneously confusing and pleasing her taste buds.

She stared at the ice cream, taking another bite, growing accustomed to the taste. "How does this taste so good? It's salty, but sweet. Who thought of the flavor?"

Lea laughed, taking a bite of his own. "I believe his name is Scrooge McDuck."

Kairi gave Lea a skeptical look. "Seriously," Lea nodded, his mouth full of ice cream. "I think he's Donald's uncle, or something. He told me about him during the Mark of Mastery."

The two shared a laugh before gazing once again at the sunset, nostalgic looks in their eyes. "My friend and I used to have one of these at the end of every day," Lea said, holding out his ice cream, his mind wandering to better times.

"Roxas?" Kairi asked tentatively.

Lea sighed heavily. "For Axel, yes. For me, it was…someone else."

Her curiosity once again taking over, she asked, "Who?"

Lea took a bite of his ice cream, his frown stating he didn't want to say. Instead, he smiled and asked, "Hey Kairi, bet you don't know why the sun sets red."

Kairi, recognizing the distraction, decided to move on. "No, Lea, I don't," she said with a smile. "Why?"

Lea smirked. "Light is made of all sorts of colors. And out of all those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest."

Kairi laughed. "Where'd you get that from, a fortune cookie?" she asked, waving her half-eaten ice cream at him. He laughed along with her.

Their conversation was interrupted when a small communication device Merlin had given to Lea when they had left the Mirage Arena rang. He pulled it from his pocket and answered. "Hello?" His expression turned from one of confusion to one of excitement. "Alright, sounds good. Thanks," he said, hanging up.

"What was that about?" Kairi asked.

"Riku and Mickey are back with Aqua. Yen Sid wants us at the Mysterious Tower when they get there," Lea answered.

"I wonder why," Kairi thought aloud. "I thought we'd meet them later after our training was complete."

"Who knows," Lea shrugged. "Probably something to do with Aqua."

"Maybe," Kairi replied hesitanty, biting off the last chunk of her ice cream. "Well, let's go."

"Alright," Lea replied with a chuckle, hopping to his feet and offering a hand to Kairi. She smiled, taking it with a nod of thanks.

* * *

 **Hi, guys!**

 **I know this chapter took longer to come out than the previous ones...but college has kicked back in since the hurricane, and I've been debating how I want to write the scene that happens after the one you guys just read. But I wanted to give you guys the next part in this story, and this seemed like a good place to leave off until next time.**

 **I know I said in the last chapter that Nightly would be shown how much time has passed, but...this scene has been playing over and over again in my head, and I couldn't wait to get it down and share it with you guys. Those details will definitely happen in the next chapter! So, let me know what you guys thought! There will be more Kairi and Lea in the story, especially in later chapters, when things start to get more interesting.**

 **(Speaking of Lea...y'all have no idea how many times I almost typed Axel instead of Lea. I guess I miss him more than I thought I did.)**

 **And since we're on the topic of names...If any of you have seen the recent update of Union X, you'll know about Blaine's official English name being Brain. Brain...**

 **At first, I wasn't sure what to think, and actually didn't like it. But the more I thought about it, the more it grew on me. I'm interested to see where this goes. As we all know, whatever happens in Kingdom Hearts happens for a reason, so I'm inclined to stay optimistic about this one.**

 **What do you guys think about this new name for Leader #4?**

 **Thank you guys so much for enjoying my story! I don't know when I'll be able to update again, but I'll try to make it as soon as I can!**

 **Love you guys! Bye!**


	6. Chapter 6- The Twist

**(Please read this)**

 **Hello, everyone! I'm back!**

 **Sorry I was gone for so long! For those of you who don't know, I took some time off to really focus on college work because I promised myself I would make it to the State Marching Band Competitions to watch my brother and the band perform.**

 **And perform they did! They won sixth place with a rating of Superior! So proud of all of them!**

 **Thanks again guys for being so patient with me! Enjoy!**

* * *

The group was surrounded by light. They continued walking, and the light slowly dissipated. The four found themselves on another beach, with sand white as the clouds and ocean blue as the sky.

"Destiny Islands," Riku breathed with a smile as he looked around his home world.

"Just like before," Mickey nodded in satisfaction.

Aqua took in the sight of the familiar world. Her eyes caught the bright yellow Paopu fruit suspended in the trees like stars on a clear night. She sighed, "It's so good to be back."

"You alright, kiddo?" Chirithy asked, glancing up at Nightly, who stared at the ocean with far-off eyes and a content look on her face, a small smile gracing her lips.

"Yeah," she replied. "Never better."

Aqua placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let's get you back to your friends."

Nightly nodded in response, her brow creasing in nervousness. "How are we getting to your friend?"

"We're gonna take our Gummi Ship," Mickey replied, voice full of cheer.

"Oh, like the one you used when you visited my town?" Nightly asked.

"Huh?" was the collective reply. All three companions looked to Nightly with varying levels of confusion.

"Nightly, what are you talking about?" Riku asked.

Nightly looked at the three of them in as much confusion as they showed her. Chirithy lightly touched her arm, and Nightly blinked, sucking in a breath. "Nevermind," she stated, her eyes glossing over before returning to normal. "It was just a dream."

"Anyway," Mickey continued awkwardly. He pulled out a small orange remote with a red center. He pushed it, pointing it to the sky. "This'll send a signal to the ship and tell it where we are. It should be here in a few minutes."

"Oh, man," Riku said, "I just remembered: there's only room for three."

Mickey replied, "Gosh, you're right." He smiled sheepishly at Nightly. "Sorry, Nightly, Chirithy. We were only expecting to find Aqua in the Realm of Darkness."

"It's alright," Chirithy responded, hopping out of Nightly's arms. "Show 'em, kiddo!"

Now it was Nightly's turn to smile sheepishly, almost like she was embarrassed. She grasped her left shoulder with her right hand, lowering her head and closing her eyes. A soft glow welled around her. After a couple seconds, the light fell of her body in a large collective starburst, revealing Nightly's transformation.

 **(AN: Randomly, Sora's Theme popped into my head while I was writing this part. LOL!)**

She now wore what appeared to be a set of armor, but created from gummi material. A black body suit was accented by blue lines, boots, and gauntlets. A blue helmet sat snug on her head, black glass blocking her face from view. Two rocket-powered wings stuck out from her back, ready to propel her into the air.

Shocked and curious, Aqua asked, "What is that?"

Chirithy hopped excitedly. "It's called Blue Gummi Aviator. Nightly hasn't really worn it before, we usually travel with Corridors. But since neither of us know where we're going, it'd be best to use the suit. Now she can just follow you while you show us where to go."

"And Chirithy is small enough to sit on someone's lap," Nightly said, pulling up the glass on her helmet to reveal her face.

"Nightly," Mickey asked, noticing something missing, "where are your glasses?"

Chirithy answered for her. "Oh, she doesn't need them, she just likes to wear them. But with this armor, they would just get in the way, so she's keeping them off."

Nightly put down the glass, and Chirithy looked up at her. "You might want to practice for a little bit. You haven't exactly flown with that before, have you?" Nightly shook her head in agreement.

Two flames appeared at the bottom of either engine. The sand began to swirl around Nightly's feet, and she rose an inch off the ground. Two. Three.

An explosion sent the other four companions to the ground. They looked up in time to see Nightly thrown backwards, her back hitting the sand before flipping upside-down and sliding in the sand on her stomach. Chirithy began running to Nightly, who was already picking herself up off the ground, shaking her head to clear it. She pushed her face mask up, and her companions heard her laughing as she did so.

"You alright, kiddo?" Chirithy called. Nightly nodded in answer, a dizzy grin on her face.

Her smile was slapped from her mouth when the engines suddenly kicked in again without warning. Nightly barely had time to throw down her mask again before she was barreling across the sand, engines on full blast. Her arms flailed, trying to stop herself but only succeeding in launching her upward.

"Woah!" Mickey cried in surprise. Nightly soared onward and upward, frantically looking for how to cut her engines off. Now tiny in the sky, the engines finally cut off, Nightly stil being propelled into the sky before slowly stopping. Then she started falling.

"Oh, no," Aqua said, beginning to run down the beach to where she thought Nightly would land.

"Nightly!" Riku shouted, joining Aqua in her chase.

"I'm coming, kiddo!" Chirithy yelled, backflipping in the air by the remaining Mickey, who was staring in fear then sudden curiosity when he saw Chirithy suddenly appear on Nightly's chest.

High in the air, Chirithy grabbed Nightly's helmet, looking into her frightened eyes. "Turn your engines back on, kiddo!" Chirithy shouted over the rushing wind. "Control them with your mind! You can do it, kiddo, I know you can!"

Chirithy watched as Nightly's eyes hardened, a determined light filling them. Nightly wrapped her arms around Chirithy, her hand cradling the Spirit's head. She twisted in the air, angling herself towards the ground. Her engines flashed back to life.

Chirithy held on tightly to Nightly, having no choice but to trust his best friend. Riku, Aqua, and Mickey watched as they got closer and closer to the ground at the breakneck speed they were going.

When Nightly reached the tops of the first trees, she cut her engines. She somersaulted, turning herself right side-up before blasting her engines again, almost stopping herself immediately. She slowly lowered herself and Chirithy to the ground. Aqua, Riku, and Mickey met her as she landed. Her feet reaching the sand, she didn't realize she had lost feeling in her legs until she fell on her bottom, letting put another laugh.

Chirithy swayed, stumbling out of her lap and landing on his back in the sand. He raised a paw, looking very dazed. "Don't ever do that again," he said weakly. A peel of laughter passed through the group. Riku helped Nightly and Aqua scooped up Chirithy as the Gummi Ship entered the Destiny Island's atmosphere.

The group shielded their eyes, sand flying around them from the force of the engines as the Gummi Ship landed. The ship now secure on the beach, the engines cut, and the blocky Gummi Ship sat in front of the five, waiting for them to board.

"Just stay beside us the whole way, okay?" Riku said to Nightly as the others boarded the Gummi Ship. She nodded, looking over Riku's shoulder and gave a small wave to whoever was behind him. He looked, seeing Chirithy waving back from Aqua's arms as she stepped inside the ship.

Riku gave Nightly an encouraging smile before boarding. Inside, Riku took the pilot's seat, Mickey and Aqua sitting in the wo seats behind him, Chirithy perched on Aqua's lap.

Flipping a switch, Riku turned on the engines. They roared to life and the ship began to rise. Nightly powered her engines, rising with the ship. She flanked the ship's left as both took to the sky.

Soon the bright blue was replaced with dark shades of mixing purples and greens and blues as the group left the atmosphere of Destiny Islands and entered the Lanes Between.

Nightly gazed around at all the colors, marveling at the swirls within the stunning darkness. Having never seen the Lanes Between before, she wondered if she could travel like this all the time instead of using the Corridors. _I'll ask Chirithy about it later,_ she decided.

A movement from the Gummi Ship caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. She looked, seeing Aqua waving at her with a concerned look on her face. Nightly waved back, and Aqua made a gesture with her thumb and forefinger, as if she were talking on the phone.

Nightly pointed to herself, then mirrored the gesture, asking a question. Aqua nodded, and Nightly shook her head.

* * *

"She can't hear us," Aqua said to Riku from inside the ship.

"Okay," he replied. "Keep an eye on her. We can go to Radiant Garden later and have Cid hook up a communicator to her helmet."

"Whew, good," Chirithy sighed. "I was worried there for a second."

Mickey piped up, "We're here."

Up ahead, the group saw the small world they were approaching. It consisted of only a twisted tower winding into the sky. Riku lowered the Gummi Ship onto a small path, as did Nightly with her suit.

Upon landing, Nightly placed her hand on her shoulder. A small glow of light later, and she was back in her usual clothes. Aqua, carrying Chirithy, exited the Gummi Ship, followed by Mickey and Riku. Chirithy hopped out of Aqua's arms and into Nightly's.

"Let's head inside," Mickey said cheerfully. "Yen Sid's at the top. He'll definitely want to meet'cha, Nightly."

* * *

At the top of the Tower, Yen Sid patiently waited for the returning wielders behind his desk, smiling to himself when he heard the Gummi Ship's engines approaching.

"That's them," Lea said, staring out of the window. Kairi hopped up from her chair, joining Lea at the window.

"Who's that with them?" Kairi asked.

"That must be Aqua," Lea replied.

"No, the other girl with them," Kairi replied.

Yen Sid's eyes opened in concern, looking to the two at the window, who were staring curiously at the approaching group. His gaze softened. "Patience, you two. We will receive an answer when they come up."

The two backed away from the window as the group of four walked into the tower, disappearing into the doorway. Lea and Kairi stood side-by-side and waited for them to enter.

Master Yen Sid looked up as the door opened, nodding to Riku, who entered first, holding the door for Mickey, Aqua, and lastly, this "other girl" Kairi had mentioned. She paused, looking timidly at the retired master. A cat-like creature resting in her arms touched her hand, and she broke her stare, glancing at Yen Sid to smile at him before joining Aqua at her side.

"It's good to see you all back well from the Realm of Darkness," Yen Side began.

"It's good to be back, Master," Riku replied, stopping beside Kairi and giving her a smile-filled nod. She grinned up at her good friend, returning the nod.

Yen Sid turned his attention to Aqua. "Welcome back, Master Aqua. I'm glad to see you made it safely back as well."

"Thank you, Master," she replied. She put a hand on the new arrival's shoulder. "But I'm not the only one who was stuck in the Realm of Darkness."

She gently nudged Nightly forward, who was shyly looking to the ground, her chin nestled into the fur of the creature held in her arms. "This is Nightly. I found her in the Realm of Darkness before Riku and Mickey found me." She gestured to the creature. "And this is Chirithy, her Dream Eater." In response, Chirithy waved.

"It is very nice to meet you, Nightly," Yen Sid greeted. The young girl couldn't have been older than Sora or Kairi, and even the latter stood taller than she. Nightly lifted her gaze to meet Yen Sid's and waved.

Yen Sid gave a smile and slow nod, his countenance growing serious as he turned back to Aqua. "You mentioned Chirithy as being a Dream Eater?" he inquired.

"Yes, Master," Riku replied. "That's actually something we wanted to talk to you about. Being a Dream Eater, Chirithy should only be able to stay in the Realm of Sleep. But here they are, outside of it. How is that possible, Master?"

Master Yen Sid stroked his beard, taking a moment to collect his countless troves of knowledge before coming up with an answer.

"There are tales of special Dream Eaters from the time of Fairytales. These Dream Eaters were created to guide their wielders trough the worlds as they mastered the light within their heart."

"That would be us, Master," replied the creature, startling Yen Sid, Lea, and Kairi.

"Hold on a second, you can talk?" Lea asked, still reeling from shock.

"Yes," Chirithy replied, their brow furrowing. "Is that not normal?"

"Well," Mickey began, "normally, Dream Eaters are able to lend their assistance, but as for conversation…"

"No, it's not normal for Dream Eaters to talk," Riku stated bluntly.

"What _is_ a Dream Eater?" Aqua and Nightly asked at the same time.

"Apparently, it's what I am," Chirithy replied with humor in his voice tinged with slight confusion.

"What did you think you were, if you don't mind my asking?" Lea asked cautiously.

"I knew myself and other fellow Chirithys as Spirits. We…well…ward off the Nightmares of our wielders to protect their hearts while they sleep. But that's by night. By day-like Master Yen Sid said-we guide our wielders through the worlds to strengthen their hearts."

"A Dream Eater," Master Yen Sid said loudly, quieting any other voices who tried to speak, "is a creature that traverses the Realm of Sleep, and are categorized as either a Spirit, as Chirithy is here, or a Nightmare, who in their malicious intent are much like the Heartless. Spirits, however, are able to combat the Nightmares and help those who wish to fight them as well.

"That being said," he continued, "the only ones who have been told to have the ability to talk like Chirithy here are said to come from Daybreak Town."

Nightly perked up the mention of her home. "Yes, Master," she replied. "That's where we're from. Is there any way we can get back?" Her face adopted a forlorn expression. "I have some friends I need to talk to. We didn't exactly leave each other on good terms."

Master Yen Sid sighed heavily. "My child, I'm afraid no one has seen hide nor hair of Daybreak Town since the Keyblade War."

A thick silence settled on the crowd. No one could bring themselves to look at Nightly, unable to face what they were sure would be a distraught young girl. And yet, a few realizations began to sink in as well.

"But, Master," Nightly spoke up. All eyes looked to her, not finding a single trace of worry or sadness on her face. Instead, she appeared to be blank, her eyes staring straight ahead but not really seeing, her mouth moving almost robotically as she said the next five words.

"The Keyblade War never happened."

 **And cliffhanger!**

 **That's the chapter! Hope you guys enjoyed! Sorry again that it's been so long. The next chapter will DEFINITELY come out sooner.**

 **Alright, has anyone noticed Nightly's strange behavior throughout the story so far? It has something to do with what has happened in-game so far. Tell me what your theories are! Can you guess what the "few realizations" are?**

 **Along those lines, what do y'all think of using outfit changes in the story? There won't be too many, mostly the one you saw in this chapter and a few more to fit the world order of various worlds. Oh, and they may be used to totally troll the Organization in later chapters...*snickers*.**

 **So, fun fact about writing this chapter: I confused myself in the middle of the "What is a Dream Eater?" debate, so I decided to look it up to make sure my facts were straight. I literally typed in "what is a dream eater," just like that…and I learned something new.**

 **Apparently our lovable, cuddly Dream Eater pals our based off an old Chinese and Japanese legend that sneaks around at night eating both the dreams and nightmares of children. Yeah…look them up, they're not nearly as cute and cuddly. Also, they're called "Baku," not "Dream Eater."**

 **Although, now some things make sense. According to Wikipedia, "they were created by the spare pieces that were left over when the gods finished created all other animals." When I read that, I don't know about you guys, but I immediately thought about what we use to make Dream Eaters in-game. Weird, right?**

 **Anyway, I'll see y'all in the next chapter! Bye!**


	7. Chapter 7 - A Dream

**Merry Christmas, everyone!**

 **I know, I know, I'm crazy late. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean for it to take this long! Finals came after the last update, and when I got home, the great river of life swept me off my feet as soon as I hit the end of my first semester. And with Christmas here, my life is only going to get busier until the New Year.**

 **Thankfully, however, I was finally able to stat getting writing time a couple days ago. Now, here I am!**

 **I wanted to give a shout-out to all my reviewers. You guys have really kept me encouraged while I was writing this story. Thank you so much to:**

 **readingchameleon**

 **Chirithy 564**

 **SuperSonicBros 123**

 **You guys are awesome!**

 **Okay, now for the story. Enjoy!**

* * *

"The Keyblade War never happened."

Nightly's words rang out through the small room. Her blank stare bore into nothingness, as if she were asleep.

"Nightly, are you okay?" Aqua asked.

"Shh," Chirithy shushed. He twisted in her arms, reaching up to her face. Pressing his forehead to hers, he said in a low voice, "Sleep."

Immediately, Nightly's eyes drooped, as did her posture. Swiftly, she began to crumple to the floor. Chirithy hopped out of her arms and caught her head as she hit the ground. He gently laid her head down, looking around at everyone, each holding a horrified and concerned expression.

Chirithy sighed. "I know that looked bad, but trust me, I had to do that."

"What _did_ you do?" Kairi asked.

"Why did she say the Keyblade War never happened?" Lea added.

Chirithy was quiet for a second, a paw on Nightly's head. "She said the War never happened…because, in her mind, it never did. I've taken away all memory of the Keyblade War that I could. But such a large memory wipe has its…side effects. I put her to sleep because her mind draws a blank, which, well, causes what you just saw."

"Why take away her memory?" Kairi asked.

"Her friends asked me to," Chirithy replied simply. "It's part of the fight she keeps talking about. They don't want her to remember the Keyblade War, but because of her morals, she's bound to remember it again. The argument is them trying to convince her to change the way she thinks, but I know that it just isn't going to happen."

"Why don't they want her to remember?" Riku asked.

Chirithy replied, "They…um…" Chirithy's words faltered. He drew a breath. "Nightly…fought…in the Keyblade War."

"W-what?" Mickey stammered. "That's impossible. Everyone who fought in the War perished."

"Not everyone," Chirithy replied, his gaze falling back to Nightly. "Nightly is the sole survivor of the Keyblade War, and her friends don't want her to remember because they don't want her to live with that burden on her shoulders."

"What, were they hoping to hide that from her forever?" Lea asked.

"Pretty much," Chirithy replied with a shrug.

Aqua spoke up, having been thinking during the whole conversation. "No matter what her friends think is best for her, keeping that secret from her is only going to push her away from them. She needs to know what happened. Her friends will be there to help her through it, and she will be better off knowing the truth, it will only make her stronger."

Chirithy gazed up at Aqua. "That makes a lot of sense. I never thought of that." Chirithy appeared to smile, if a bit sheepishly, rubbing his head. "Usually I just follow orders. I want what's best for Nightly. I guess I need to stop following orders for that to happen."

Aqua offered a smile to the Spirit. "Let's get her back to her friends. I think they're due a much-needed talk."

"Yes," Chirithy replied, turning his attention to Master Yen Sid. "Master, could you please point us in the direction of Daybreak Town?"

Master Yen Sid's eyes widened at the mention of the world. He closed them, adopting his usual serious look, this time with a grave air. Knowing the little creature would not like what he was about to say, he reluctantly spoke. "I'm afraid," he said, "no one has seen hide nor hair of Daybreak Town since the Keyblade War."

A sinking feeling in Chirithy's stomach made him feel like he was being crushed into the floor. "What do you mean?"

"The Keyblade War shattered what was left of the world as a whole, and the pieces spread and reformed into what the worlds are as we know them today. With this large split, Daybreak Town disappeared. Some believe it to be destroyed completely, while others think it may rest within the Realm of Sleep."

"If it's in the Sleeping Realm, I can go find it," Riku volunteered.

"No," Yen Sid fired back, silencing Riku. "If it were there, you or Sora would have encountered it during your Mark of Mastery exam."

"But it couldn't have been destroyed completely," Chirithy piped up. "Nightly and the other wielders were there afterward."

"What other wielders?" Kairi asked. "I thought Nightly was the only one left."

"There was a small group of wielders, her friends included, who didn't go to war at all," Chirithy explained. "They're called the Dandelions, and Maser Ava put them together to fly away from the world when the War came around. They were the only ones meant to come out of the War. When Nightly's friends found out she had gone to fight in the War, they went to go get her. They got there just in time to take her away before she…well, let's just say she almost let go." Chirithy finished with a quiet voice and a bowed head.

"So, she almost died?" Lea bluntly asked, only to receive an elbow to the ribs from Kairi.

Chirithy laughed ironically. "Yes. Right before the end, I put her in a dream so I could say goodbye. I remember she looked up at the sky, and a light broke through the clouds. She said, 'Is it my time?'" Chirithy looked up in memory. "I don't know where that light came from. It wasn't part of the dream I created. And when her friends came, I woke her up so she could talk to them. This time, both the light and I were there, in reality."

"You weren't like that before?" Aqua inquired.

"Usually we Chirithies can exist in reality for only a few minutes at a time, just long enough to talk to our wielders and send them to their next mission. Then we watch them from the parallel 'dreamscape', jumping back and forth whenever we need to to give advice." Chirithy replied, making air quotes with their paws at the last word. "But for some reason, after that night, I've had an increasingly difficult time getting back to the 'dreamscape'. I can put Nightly to sleep, and send her into a dream, and see her dreams, but I can't actually be there."

"As unusual as that is," Lea said, "I'm guessing you don't want her to realize any of this, right?"

"Yes. Please, it would be best if you pretended I never told any of you this. Aqua, if we ever find her friends, I'll ask them about what you said. Thank you for showing me a different way, and I agree we shouldn't hide this from her forever, but her friends need to realize that, too, before we can do anything."

"Okay," Aqua nodded, a winning smile on her face.

"We should probably just let her rest for now, she's had a long day," Riku suggested. He approached the sleeping girl and gently picked her up, taking her to one of the rooms Yen Sid had prepared for the coming wielders.

Aqua addressed the two wielders standing to the side. "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met."

Lea, as smooth as ever, extended a hand and said, "My name is Lea. Got it memorized?"

Aqua gave an amused smile and took his hand. "I'll try. My name is Aqua."

"It's good to meet you, Aqua," Kairi piped up, taking Aqua's hand after she shook Lea's. "My name is Kairi."

Aqua's brow furrowed at hearing Kairi's name. Suddenly, an image of a little girl with a small bouquet of flowers entered her mind. She blinked, and the young woman who stood before her smiled that same sweet smile.

"Kairi…" Aqua repeated, "…it's so good to see you again."

"Again?" Kairi asked. "Have we met before?"

"When you were very young," Aqua replied. "We met at Radiant Garden. I saved you from a swarm of Unversed and you gave me flowers."

Kairi stared blankly at Aqua. "Radiant Garden?"

"Yes," Aqua replied as Riku once again entered the room. "Why? What's wrong?"

"What?" Riku asked, seeing Kairi's expression.

"Radiant Garden," Kairi repeated, letting go of Aqua's hand, her gaze panning to Riku. "Radiant Garden, Riku."

"What about it?" he returned.

"That's it," Kairi said, a smile breaking across her face as she approached her island friend. "It's Radiant Garden, Riku. That's it, that's where I'm from!" She jumped in excitement, throwing her arms around Riku's neck, who caught her in confusion, still trying to understand what he heard.

Understanding finally dawned on his face. "Wait a second," he said, putting her down, looking her in the eye. "Radiant Garden is your homeworld?" At Kairi's ecstatic node, his own smile adorned his countenance. "That's great! How did you find out?"

"Aqua told me," Kairi replied, looking to the Master with a bright smile. "She said we met sometime at Radiant Garden when I was really little."

"Really? That's great, thank you, Aqua," Riku said.

"Um, you're welcome," Aqua replied, "but I'm not sure what I did, exactly."

"I don't remember my homeworld," Kairi stated. "But from what Lea told me, Radiant Garden fell to darkness. When that happened, I must have been sent from there to Destiny Islands, where I met Sora and Riku."

"You really don't remember anything about your homeworld?" Aqua asked in disbelief.

"Only my Grandma," Kairi admitted. "And a room full of books. That's it."

"I know the castle in Radiant Garden had a library," Lea said. "I never saw it myself, though. Apparently used to live there, maybe you'll be able to go inside."

"Okay," Kairi nodded. "I'd love to, but I know we have things to do, first."

"And the first thing would be for all of you to get some rest," Yen Sid decided. "It seems your newest journey has arrived. It would be best for you all to sleep before you set out."

"Yes, Master," was the mass-reply. With nods of goodnights, the friends, old and new, left to their separate quarters to sleep.

* * *

"Master Yen Sid," Mickey began.

The retired master looked down to his old apprentice, awaiting to hear what was troubling him.

Mickey continued, "I've been wondering about Nightly ever since we met her. She says she was in Enchanted Dominion when it fell to darkness, and that's where Aqua found her, in an area of Enchanted Dominion. But if she's from Daybreak Town…" Mickey trailed off.

"Yes, I have been thinking about that, myself," Yen Sid admitted.

"Exactly. If she's from Daybreak Town, how did she get to Enchanted Dominion?" Mickey asked. "If the legend is correct, the missions the children of Daybreak Town were sent on were projections of the future—meaning their missions were fake, a mere fabrication."

Yen Sid replied, "Yes; but while that is true, the skills they learned were all too real, as seen by the outcome of the War. Perhaps, after the War took place, access to the other worlds was opened as well."

Mickey hummed, closing his eyes in thought. Yen Sid stated, "There is something else troubling you, my friend."

"Yes," Mickey nodded. "Her friends. If they are aware of what happened to her in Enchanted Dominion, that she left Daybreak Town, they may be looking for her. Maybe we should be looking for them as well."

Yen Sid nodded his slow nod. "Perhaps our next motive should focus on finding her friends as well as retrieving Ventus. Perhaps Ven's heart will reveal itself in due time."

Mickey nodded. "Hopefully so. Thank you, Master. Goodnight." Mickey exited the room, leaving to his quarters.

* * *

"Nightly."

Nightly opened her eyes to a bright sky of daybreak. She moved her head back and forth, seeing light yellow buildings with purple roofs surrounding her. "Huh?" she asked herself, pushing herself up to her elbows. "I'm back?" She pushed herself up off the ground, struggling to her feet.

"Nightly." That voice again, coming from behind her. She turned, gasping at who she saw.

"Ephemer, Skuld," she said. The two wielders who spoke her name sat on the lip of the fountain, staring straight at her. "I…I'm sorry I ran, I just didn't want to argue with you anymore. Can we just talk about it?"

The two wielders stood, their blank, unresponsive stares tearing through Nightly's heart. "Guys?" she asked timidly.

To her question, they did respond, but not the one she was looking for. In two flashes of light, both wielders tightly gripped their respective Starlights, crouching in a fighting stance.

"Guys?" Nightly asked again, stepping back from her friends. She summoned her own Starlight when they suddenly lunged at her. She barely had time to block them, their Keyblades locked as Ephemer and Skuld kept up their stares, not recognizing Nightly.

Nightly pushed away from her attacking friends, backflipping away from them. "What's gotten into you two!?" she shouted.

This time, when Ephemer rushed forward in an attack, Nightly noticed something off about his Keyblade. Caught in a trance, she blocked him again instead of dodging. A wisp of darkness swirled off his Keyblade, brushing her face as it passed.

"Darkness?" Nightly asked herself, seeing the inky blackness spread from his Keyblade up his arms and to the rest of his body. She once again pushed him away, turning in between Ephemer and Skuld, whom she now noticed also had darkness swimming around her. The darkness spread, leaving their bodies and surrounding the area, turning it into a void of nothingness.

"What happened to you?" Nightly questioned, concern for her friends flooding her voice.

She barely felt it at first, but as it crescendoed, it was unignorably present. The ground was vibrating, beginning to shake more violently with each passing second. With it, the sound of crushing earth began to rise as well. Nightly gasped as she saw cracks forming between her and her friends.

A split in the rock on either side of her joined at a point, connecting with another crack that had formed between her friends. The ground shook and the rift between the three wielders began to widen, pulling apart and separating the friends.

"No!" Nightly yelled, running to the edge, only to find it too large to jump over. She sent Starlight away, reaching for her friends but knowing it was hopeless. They still held the blank, dead looks in their eyes, Keyblades readily drawn for a duel.

Nightly lowered her hand, staring back at her friends. "Where are you?" she finally asked.

Finally, a response. The darkness around her two friends took shape, growing thicker and more solid. The darkness solidified, created a dark, twisted image where her friends once stood. Where Ephemer was, there was now a tall castle with slender towers. A hole in the highest tower seemed to resemble a clock.

"Castle of Dreams," Nightly breathed. Turning to see the image that had formed around Skuld, she saw what appeared to be a small cottage with a chimney and a soft, sloping roof.

"Dwarf Woodlands," Nightly stated. She blinked, realizing what she had to do, and just how close she had been. "Okay," she said, "I'll find you. I promise."

No sooner had she said the words, she felt something grip her wrist. Looking, she gasped to see a thick vine made of darkness fastened tightly around her. She tried to pull away, only for more vines to show up. They twisted and turned around her, getting tighter and tighter until they suffocated her.

* * *

Nightly gasped awake.

* * *

 **And that's it for this one! Again, I'm sorry it didn't come out sooner. I don't want to promise the next one will be out sooner, but I will say that I strongly feel like it will be out sooner. Starting a new semester makes it easier to write, and my next big break won't be until closer to my next finals.**

 **So, let me know what you guys think about the story so far! Our heroes will begin their newest journey in the next chapter.**

 **See you guys soon!**


	8. Chapter 8- Rendezvous

…

…

 **Welp, it sure has been a while, huh?**

 **Uggghhhh, I can't begin to tell you guys…I'm sorry. Second semester shot off like a rocket, and I'm involved in some things in my school (one of which also involves writing) and it's been surprisingly difficult to keep up with things this time around. Not that my ADD has been helping much, either.**

 **Just a heads-up for this chapter, someone from Union X makes an appearance. If you're not familiar with the foretellers, you won't know who this is.**

 **Alright, I'm not gonna keep y'all waiting. Without further ado, the next chapter!**

* * *

"Castle Oblivion?" Mickey asked. "This whole time, he's been in Castle Oblivion?"

"Yes," Aqua replied. Mickey crossed his arms, thinking. "What's wrong?"

"Nothin', really," Mickey replied. "it's just…Riku and I, and Sora too, we were there about a year ago."

"Really?" Aqua smiled mischievously, "and what happened there?"

Riku chuckled. "Whatever spell you put over that place, it definitely worked. Sora and I lost some memories trying to navigate that place. Thankfully, we had a…friend…who was able to put them back in place."

"Well," Aqua began, "I wish it was a spell that I had thought of, but actually, the principle of Castle Oblivion, as well as the Castle itself, was a failsafe set up by my master, Master Eraqus, should anything happen to the Land of Departure."

Mickey looked to his old friend in shock. "You don't mean—" Yen Sid raised his head pensively, intrigued by Aqua's revelation.

Aqua nodded, smiling patiently, albeit a little sadly. "Castle Oblivion is what is left of the Land of Departure."

"So, now we have to go get Ven to wake him up?" Kairi inquired.

"Yes," Aqua replied. "But, then we'd still have to figure out where his heart is. After his fight with Vanitas, his heart just seemed to vanish. I didn't look in the Realm of Darkness, I always figured it still resided somewhere here in the Realm of Light. But I guess you haven't found anything either, Mickey?"

"No," the mouse replied. "I'm sorry Aqua, we haven't found it yet, but I believe we're close."

With a sigh, Aqua replied, "Well, we can keep looking once we bring Ven back here, safe and sound."

"Alright, then," Lea replied, "sounds like a good plan to me."

A sudden bang made everyone look to the door, where a frazzled Nightly entered. She looked to the group of friends, gave a small wave, and began pacing.

"What in the worlds has gotten into you?" Kairi asked.

"Funny you should ask," replied Chirithy as he hopped into the room, bounce-floating onto a table to avoid Nightly's feet. "Basically, she had a strange dream last night, one I didn't give her. And now she's freaking out a little bit."

"What kind of a dream?" Riku asked.

"Um," Chirithy began, glancing at Nightly. When he got no response, he continued, "so, she dreamt of her friends, only they weren't acting correctly. They were in a dark place, and they tried to fight her. She asked where they were, and some images showed a dark Castle of Dreams and Dwarf Woodlands. I'm pretty sure…uh, well, she is, too…that the two of them are still in the Realm of Darkness."

"What? But we were just there, why didn't we see anything?" Mickey questioned.

"I'm not sure," Chirithy replied. "We must have just missed them."

Nightly abruptly stopped pacing, the crook of her finger holding her chin and her arm hugging herself. "Chirithy," she said, "why are they there?"

"Sorry?" Chirithy replied.

"How come they're in the Realm of Darkness? When I left Daybreak Town, they were still there. How come they were in those worlds when they fell to darkness?"

Chirithy hesitated, then released a pained sigh. "Remember you told me to not tell them where you went?"

"Yes," Nightly said, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I gave them three places you might have gone, because I knew you needed some space, but they were trying to convince me they just wanted to help. So, I told them you were either at Castle of Dreams, Dwarf Woodlands, or Enchanted Dominion. They must have split up to try and find you faster, but both chose the wrong world, leaving Ephemer in Castle of Dreams, Skuld in Dwarf Woodlands, and you in Enchanted Dominion."

Nightly nodded, furrowing her brow. "I have to go back. I have to get them back. I can't let them stay in the Realm of Darkness."

"Of course not," Aqua agreed, "but you shouldn't do it alone."

"I can't ask you to put yourselves in danger," Nightly looked to Aqua. "And you just got out of the Realm of Darkness, I don't want to ask you to go right back."

"You just got out, too," Aqua replied. "You shouldn't have to go right back, either."

Nightly hung her head. "I know I'm gonna need help with this, I just don't want to have to ask any of you."

"Maybe we can all help each other," Kairi said. "Aqua was just telling us about a friend of hers that we need to wake up. You can come with us to help her, and we can go back to the Realm of Darkness to help you."

"Oh? What friend?" Nightly questioned.

Aqua provided the same explanation she and Mickey did Lea, Riku, and Kairi. At the end of it, Nightly questioned, "So how are we going to get through Castle Oblivion, since that spell causes so much disorientation?"

"Well," Aqua answered, "since I'm the one who cast it, it shouldn't affect me. And since you all will be with me, I don't think it will affect any of you either."

"Let's hope not," Lea replied with a playful smirk. "I for one don't want to be getting lost trying to find him."

"I don't want that, either," Aqua assured him. With a sigh, she added, "It'll be so good to see him again."

Nightly smiled at the wielder, at how hopeful she was that she could help her friend. She blinked, and her smile disappeared. Just like with Riku, someone had replaced Aqua in her mind's eye. Once again, a foreteller stood before her.

Clad in a blue robe, a snake mask covering her face, Master Invi held her hands to her chest just as Aqua had been doing not a heartbeat ago. Another blink, and she was gone, replaced by her doppelganger, leaving Nightly questioning what she just saw. Just like before, her heart felt as if she had just dreamt, despite her mind being wide awake.

"Nightly?" Riku asked, noticing her expression shift. "Are you okay?"

Nightly pushed her thoughts aside, pulling a smile to her face. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just thinking about Castle Oblivion."

"Well, let's stop thinking and start going," Lea suggested with a stretch.

"Right," came Aqua's reply.

* * *

The sediment on the pathway to Castle Oblivion shifted with the wind as four engines softly landed on the scene. The Gummi Ship touched down first, followed by two Keyblade Gliders and a suit of Gummi Armor.

The engines cut, and each vessel revealed their pilots. A silver-haired teen, a mouse, and a sapphire-haired woman exited the ship, a cat-like Dream Eater hopping after them. A scooter-esque Keyblade Glider with a yellow and blue base and red and orange handles disappeared in a flash of light, revealing a young red-head Princess of Heart. A motorcycle-esque Keyblade Glider with a base like swirling fire and white and red handles in the style of chakrams flashed away to show a man with fiery red hair and emerald green eyes. The suit of blue Gummi Armor dissipated, and a brunette young girl clad in blue appeared in its place.

The party of wielders converged at the back of the Gummi Ship, facing Castle Oblivion, approaching the winding, chaotic towers of the castle before them.

As they walked, Aqua recapped, "Okay, Ven will be on the thirteenth floor. We shouldn't have too much trouble getting up there."

"Unless we run into any Organization XIII," Riku added. "They were plenty trouble when me and Sora ended up here. They might still be here."

"If they are, they're probably lost within the tower," Mickey stated optimistically.

"They should be," Aqua reassured everyone, "the spell is set up so only I will know how to get there. If we run in to anyone, it will be on the way up."

A collective nod went through the group as they stepped up to the entrance of Castle Oblivion. The doors opened to reveal the white walls and empty halls that waited within.

* * *

"Sora!"

Donald jumped, thrusting his staff into the air as a cloud of green surrounded his friend. Sora sighed, dispelling the Curaga he was about to cast on himself. _'Of all the times…'_ he thought to himself.

Sora leapt to the large Heartless in front of him, slamming his Keyblade down on its head, what he had discerned to be the soft spot of the enemy. Another chunk of HP turned red and disappeared. He jumped back as a round shield flew over his head, sparking off the Heartless and returning to its owner.

"Almost got 'im!" Goofy shouted as he plucked his returned shield from the air.

"Thunder!" Sora and Donald shouted, each casting Thundara at the waning Heartless. The Heartless staggered, and Sora took advantage of its recovery. He rushed the Heartless, striking a final aerial combo to its head.

With a final roar, the Heartless disintegrated in a cloud of Darkness. Its leftover heart floated upward before it too disappeared.

Sora huffed for a moment before taking in a deep breath, sending away Kingdom Key and looking to his allies. "That was great!" he said with a smile.

The Coliseum erupted in cheer, and confetti fluttered down from the sky. The three heroes smiled up at the Satyr who was applauding them with a satisfied look on his face.

"Nice work out there," Hercules said from behind the three. He waved them back when they caught sight of him, and they followed him back to the entrance hall of the Coliseum.

"The champs got a point," Phil stated gruffly. "All your training has really paid off these past competitions. I'd say you three are just about ready to take on anything."

"Just about?" Sora playfully asked, pulling a fake disappointed face. "Don't you mean we are?"

"Nope," Phil said bluntly. "Just about. You may have defeated the boss of each Cup, but that doesn't mean you won't have trouble every now and then. Don't let your victory get to your heads, you hear?"

"Yep, we hear you, Phil," Sora replied.

"That being said," Phil continued, "I think you three have learned all you can. I hereby pronounce your training: over."

Donald erupted in an "Oh boy!" followed by a signature "A-Hyuck!" from Goofy and an accomplished laugh from Sora.

"So, now that your training is over, what will you do next?" Hercules asked.

"Well," Sora said, "I think we'll be heading back to Yen Sid. I've got an Exam to take."

Hercules and Phil nodded knowingly. "Well, we'll see you next time," Hercules said.

Phil piped up, "Before you go, I got two words of advice for you three: Don't. Get. Cocky."

Sora chuckled. "We won't, Phil."

The three friends left the Coliseum, boarding the Gummi Ship parked just outside the gate. The Gummi Ship's engines flamed to life before rocketing into the Lanes Between.

* * *

"So, Mysterious Tower?" Sora asked, throwing a look over his shoulder at his two companions.

"Yup," replied Donald.

"Uh-huh," Goofy agreed.

"Okay," Sora finished. Just as he gripped the controls to take off, a red light flashed on the monitor in front of him.

"Huh?" he asked no one in particular, pulling up the message. Instead of being from Chip and Dale or Mickey, like he expected, the true sender shocked him.

"It's from Yen Sid," Sora said to Donald and Goofy.

"What does it say?" Goofy inquired.

Sora took a moment to read it, a sound of surprise escaping his lips.

"He says we're needed at…um…Castle Oblivion?"

"Castle Oblivion?" Donald asked. "What's that?" He exchanged a glance with Goofy.

"Beats me," Goofy replied. "Did he send coordinates?"

"Yeah," Sora replied, "but why would we be needed there?"

After a short moment of thought, Donald said, "Well, we won't know 'til we get there."

"Right," Sora replied happily. "Okay, Castle Oblivion it is."

Plugging in the coordinates into the Gummi Ship, Sora propelled the ship forward, headed to wherever their adventure was taking them next.

* * *

 **And enter Sora and Company!**

 **Whew! Finally! Again, sorry it took me so long. College has been a pain in the butt this entire second semester. Since I'm on Break, I have much more time to write than I did before. I'm hoping to have another chapter out before I go back to school, but I'm not gonna make any promises.**

 **That being said, this chapter is not my best work. I have the hardest time writing transition scenes, and getting people from one place to the next is not my forte. This chapter was no different, and I'm sorry if there are a lot of awkward moments in here. I'm getting better with each new chapter, and that's what matters the most!**

 ***whispers* Did anyone get the joke about Donald healing you right as you heal yourself?**

 **No? Yes? Kinda, not really? It's fine if you didn't. :D**

 **Anyways, I'll see you guys next time. I'll be working on the next chapter over the next couple of days, so stay tuned!**


	9. Chapter 9- Castle Oblivion: Part 1

**Guess who's ba-aack~!**

 **Welp, college has started back up, but I have more time than I usually do because of Hurricane Florence. If you guys remember last year, my campus is right on the coast, so we evacuated earlier this week, so that cancelled my classes until further notice. I'll be back before I know it, but for now, I'm gonna get this chapter up and start working on the next one.**

 **Alright, that being said: the next chapter!**

* * *

Aqua reassured everyone, "The spell is set up so only I will know how to get there. If we run into anyone, it won't be in the room, just on the way up."

A collective nod went through the group as they stepped up to the entrance of Castle Oblivion. The doors opened to reveal the white walls and empty halls that waited within.

The sound of an engine whirring through the air made the group stop, however, and turn their gaze to the sky. Another Gummi Ship was landing next to their own, hydraulics hissing as the platform extended to the ground and the door slid open.

"Riku! Kairi!" shouted a familiar voice as a spiky-haired teen ran out of the ship. Sora bounded from the platform and took off towards his friends.

"Sora!" Riku and Kairi responded. Kairi ran towards her childhood friend, Riku trailing behind her as she met Sora in an embrace.

"It's so good to see you again!" Kairi exclaimed happily, letting go of Sora. She looked over his shoulder to see Donald and Goofy walking off the ship as well. "Hi, Donald! Hello, Goofy!"

"Well hiya, Kairi," Goofy replied, waving at the young redhead. Donald followed suit, giving a signature quack.

Riku caught up with Kairi, offering Sora a smile. Kairi backed away from Sora, who returned Riku's smile with his own goofy grin. "Long time, no see, huh, Riku?"

A chuckle bubbled in Riku's chest. "You said it, Sora." He offered his hand, to which Sora shook gleefully. The two friends joined Kairi, Donald, and Goofy and returned to the waiting group at the doors to Castle Oblivion.

At the sight of the young brunette, Aqua's heart gave a leap of happiness. Her mind filled with the images of two small boys she met on a small island. A smile graced her features, and her heart felt at home as she looked at his face.

 _'He still looks so much like Ven,'_ she thought to herself.

Sora bounded up the steps and greeted Lea. After being introduced to Nightly, he turned to Aqua. His bright smile faltered for a moment, and he seemed to recognize Aqua for a second before recovering his smile and holding out his hand. "Hi, my name's Sora!" he greeted happily.

"Aqua," she replied, shaking his hand.

Sora nodded, his heart pounding in his chest. _'What is going on?'_ he thought. He turned his focus to the open entrance of Castle Oblivion as he desperately tried to fight the urge to cry out of pure joy. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice the reddening of his cheeks as they entered the open doors. Sora's countenance turned from flustered to amazed at the sight of the foreign castle, and Riku watched on anxiously as he watched his friend take in every detail.

As he did so, Sora felt a growing pain in his head. Blaming the whiteness of the castle's interior, Sora rubbed his forehead, only for the pain to rapidly escalate. Feeling as if his head was about to split in two, he grabbed both sides of his head, gritting his teeth from the pain.

Riku instantly noticed this change in Sora. He heard Donald and Goofy make similar groans of pain, and looked back to see them also holding their heads from it.

"What's happening?" asked a fearful Nightly.

"Is the spell affecting them?" Aqua inquired.

"It already did," retorted Riku, rushing to Sora's side and leaving the rest of the group to look on in concern and confusion as the brunette collapsed to his knees. To Sora, he asked, "Sora? Can you hear me?"

To Sora, however, Riku's voice was just another buzz in the droning in his ears. He continued to hold his head as images forced their way into his mind. Memories of an adventure he never had, fights he never fought, enemies and a blonde girl he had only met twice.

It all ended as soon as it began. Sora blinked his eyes open, looking up at the now _very_ familiar walls of a _very_ familiar castle. He stood, slowly and wobbly at first; but when a hand offered assistance, he refused.

He swallowed hard, remembering the confusion and strangeness of Castle Oblivion, remembering the hurt at seeing friends who didn't know him.

Remembering how the story ended.

He turned slowly, looking at his two companions. They looked back at him with equal concern. It finally occurred to him that someone was trying to get his attention.

"…ra, are you okay? Sora," Riku's voice finally cut through the buzz, and he looked to his old friend.

"We…we were here, weren't we?" Sora asked slowly. He looked to Riku, desperate for answers. "Why did we forget being here, Riku?"

Riku paused, then looked to the ground shamefully. "Look, Sora…" he trailed off, then began again. "You, Donald, and Goofy were here about a year ago. While you all went through Castle Oblivion, Organization XIII tried to steal your memories of your first adventure. But a girl named Naminé helped put your memories back together."

At the mention of Naminé, Kairi put her hand to her heart. Sora looked at Kairi, seeing her response. "Right," Sora said, bringing his own hand to his chest, remembering Roxas and the promise he made him. He closed his eyes for a moment, and swore he could feel Roxas behind him, smiling.

"Sora?" Goofy asked in concern.

Sora opened his eyes again and grinned at his old friends. "I'm okay," he said. "Let's get going. Who are we trying to find, again?"

"My friend, Ven," Aqua answered, offering the teenager a smile. Sora returned the smile, clenching his fist as he felt his heart give an unexplained leap. Whoever this Ven was, he seemed important.

Sora nodded. "Well, the sooner we get there, the sooner we can help him out," he said optimistically.

The group returned the nod and headed to the set of doors that would take them to the second floor of Castle Oblivion.

The second floor went by with no issue, as did the third. The group of misfit friends briskly walked through the ivory halls of Castle Oblivion silently, ready for an attack but hopeful no conflict would come about.

As they traversed the fourth floor, however, the youngest member of the group looked around in fear and confusion. Nightly stopped, the rest of the group walking to the other end of the hall before Kairi noticed her absence.

"Nightly?" Kairi inquired, looking to the wielder on question and drawing the attention of the other wielders in the group.

Nightly looked around the room, her eyes distant and unfocused. She gasped, ducking from an unseen obstacle. She looked to where this supposed danger went and shouted, "No! Wait!" She broke out in a sprint toward the side of the hall, towards nothingness.

"Nightly, wait!" Kairi cried out, running to her distressed friend. As she did, a wisp of ice magic blew past her, coating the floor in a thin layer of ice and sliding in front of Nightly, leaving a trail of ice in front of her. She stepped on the ice and immediately her feet slipped out from under her and she hit the floor, letting Kairi catch up to her.

Kairi grasped Nightly's shoulder, and her eyes immediately refocused. Realizing where she was, a small blush crept across her face as she asked, "What happened?"

"I'm not sure," Kairi replied, helping Nightly stand back up.

"I don't think that was the spell…" Aqua began, trying to explain the sudden outburst.

"It wasn't," replied Chirithy, pointedly looking at Nightly. "It was a nightmare."

Nightly felt a chill go down her back. As she connected the dots, everyone else looked between her and Chirithy. "A nightmare? But she's awake," Lea pointed out.

"Exactly," Chirithy said. A moment of silent confusion passed through the group, but Nightly and Chirithy locked eye, exchanging a silent word.

A strange sound broke the group out of their stupor, followed by an oddly familiar voice.

"Geez, Princess, way to ruin my fun," said the high-pitched, bubbly voice of Chirithy.

Nightly immediately summoned her Keyblade and faced the voice. Wary of the foreign voice, the others followed her gaze to see another Chirithy standing on top of one of the raised walls in the room. But instead of seeing the colors of the Chirithy they already knew, they saw a much darker theme surrounding this new Chirithy.

This Chirithy had purple fur accented by dark purple—almost black—stripes. Instead of Chirithy's usual light yellow and blue cape, this one was consisted of bright pink and dark fuchsia. A black pouch hanging at its front completed the look, while red eyes bore into the young wielder who dared to face him.

"You!" Chirithy said, giving a nervous hop.

"Hello, Chirithy," the darker Chirithy said cheerfully. "Long time, no see, huh?"

"What are you doing here?" Chirithy asked.

"The same reason you are," replied the Nightmare. "I go where my wielder goes."

Nightly blinked. "You mean there's someone else here from Daybreak Town?"

A moment of silence passed as they waited for the dark Chirithy to answer. Instead of words, the Nightmare began to chuckle. The squeaky voice crescendoed in its laughter of madness, coming to an end with a small cough. "You still haven't figured it out, have you? Both of you are absolute idiots. It's adorable, really, your ignorance."

"What are you talking about?" Chirithy asked.

The Nightmare Chirithy was silent for a moment, then answered, "Those Medals you use to fight. How do you make them stronger?"

Nightly hesitated, unsure where the Nightmare was going with this. "I upgrade them using a power from a bangle Chirithy gave me. The bangle came from the Foretellers themselves, and every wielder of Daybreak Town has one."

"And do tell what, exactly, that power is, Chirithy," encouraged the dark Chirithy.

"Well," Chirithy explained, "it's something the Foretellers called 'Guilt'. It's a way for wielders to make themselves stronger by purifying dark energy to create light energy. This in turn causes the medals and therefore a wielder's own strength to grow."

"So you're saying the wielders of Daybreak Town _intentionally_ use the power of darkness to strengthen themselves?" Nightmare Chirithy asked.

"No," Chirithy corrected, "they collect it and then purify it through their medals."

The Nightmare gave an annoyed huff. "The Foretellers were never the brightest bunch, you know. What they didn't understand was that darkness cannot be gotten rid of. You cannot simply 'purify' it. It bleeds into your being and wraps itself around your own power, all under the guise of your 'Guilt'."

"Is that why you're here?" Nightly asked. "Is that darkness what causes you to show up?"

"Not quite," responded the Nightmare, a smirk easily heard in his voice. "If just that darkness causes me to be here, then Daybreak Town would have been overrun with Chirithy like me. Oh no, I'm here for a very special reason. Not only does my wielder have the Guilt granted to them by the Foretellers, but they also suffer from their own inner guilt; a guilt they've been suffering from for a very long time."

"What?" Chirithy asked, slight confusion coating his voice.

"Lowercase 'G'," the Nightmare explained. "as in the emotion. My wielder's guilt gives me the power to be here. And her own darkness lets me toy with her dreams."

Nightly grit her teeth. "Would you give us our answer already? Who is your wielder?!"

Another breathless pause before the answer was finally given. "Why, my dear Nightly, _you_ are my wielder."

* * *

The group stepped out into the hallway of the next floor of Castle Oblivion. They looked around for anyone coming their way, then let out a collective sigh.

Aqua looked over her shoulder. "Nightly, are you okay?"

The girl in question looked up at the older wielder. "I…I think so." She looked back down, staring in front of her in thought. "Yeah, I'm okay."

Chirithy hopped in front of her. "Are you sure, kiddo?"

Nightly nodded. "Yeah." She paused, eyebrows furrowed. "But, I just don't know what he meant by guilt. What guilt? I mean, the only thing I can think of that I'd be guilty about would be the argument with my friends, but...I just feel like that's not what he's talking about."

"That Nightmare said it comes from your own darkness. Doesn't that worry you?" Kairi questioned cautiously.

Nightly thought before answering. "Honestly, not really. I can't really explain it, but I'm just…okay with it. Maybe I do have darkness in my heart, but I won't let it get to me. Besides, I don't think Nightmare Chirithy is necessarily bad. He's just been tainted by my own darkness, and that's my fault, not his. And, in the end, he's a Chirithy. His purpose is to help me. Whatever he showed me, it was to help me or guide me or…or something."

"What did he show you?" Riku asked.

"The same nightmare I've been having for a while now," Nightly replied. "I first started having it after I learned about the upcoming War. I keep seeing myself on the battlefield, trying to stop the fighting. I'm unable to do anything, and only end up exhausted by the time everything is done."

On the outside of the group, Goofy looked to Donald and Sora in confusion. "But, didn't the Keyblade War already happen?" he asked the two quietly.

"Ah-hah," Donald confirmed with a nod.

"Hmm," Sora hummed to himself, hands behind his head. "Hey, Nightly?"

"Yes?" she replied.

"What do you mean by 'upcoming War'?" Sora asked innocently.

Everyone else froze, suddenly realizing he didn't know what the rest of them did. Nightly replied, "The great Keyblade War. It'll be a huge war between all wielders that will tear the world apart."

Sora opened his mouth to ask another question, but was interrupted by Lea saying a little too loudly, "That's right. Nightly was telling us all about it. Real scary stuff, but I'm sure we'll all be fine." Lea clapped a hand on Sora's shoulder, throwing him a look that told him to keep all further questions to himself. Sora complied, deciding to ask questions later.

The group migrated to the door at the end of the hall, making their way up to the next floor. To their delight, no trouble came about on the 6th floor, but the heroes knew not to take it for granted.

Their wariness served them well. As the door opened to the seventh floor of Castle Oblivion, a Corridor of Darkness opened up at the opposite end of the room. Emerging form the darkness came a figure sporting blue hair and an impressive scar that crossed his face in an "x" formation.

"Hello, Axel," Saix greeted as he entered the room.

The sudden appearance of his childhood friend's Nobody made Lea give pause. "Isa," he finally said indifferently.

"I would say it is good to see you again, but I don't believe you share the sentiment."

Lea scowled. "Is there a reason you've decided to get in my way, or should I just ignore you like I always have?"

Saix smirked. "I'll leave that for you to decide."

Before Lea could respond, another Corridor of Darkness appeared right behind the group. Lea could barely hear the light bullets coming their way before he could turn.

Lea heard Kairi gasp before the sound of metal hitting the oncoming blasts struck his ears and a bright light filled his vision. When it cleared, he saw a determined Kairi shielding the group from the oncoming Arrowgun blasts.

A moment after the volleys stopped, the owner of the guns stepped out of the Corridor, smirking at the startled troupe.

"Braig" Lea growled.

The sharpshooter in question grinned maliciously. "Well, well, well, looks who's joined the big leagues. Never thought you'd become a Keyblade wielder, Axel."

Aqua blinked at the newcomer, she knew she'd seen him before. Her heart skipped a beat when she finally remembered. _'He's the man who attacked me and Ven.'_

Her thoughts kept her from hearing Saix summon his claymore. Before she knew what had happened, she heard Lea shout, "Look out!" He ran into her as he blocked the blow that was coming straight for her. Aqua's attention snapped to Lea, and she nodded her thanks.

Lea looked behind him and caught Kairi's eye. They shared a look before Lea said, "You guys go on ahead. Kairi and I can handle these guys."

"But-" Sora began to protest.

"Don't worry, Sora. We can handle it," Kairi reassured him.

Sora and Riku looked to the red-headed Princess of Heart. She gave them a confident smile and said, "Go. I'll be fine, I promise."

"Alright, then," Riku confirmed. "Let's go."

"Stay here. We'll come find you after we get Ven," Aqua instructed, winning a nod from both Lea and Kairi.

The two red heads took their stances to face the foes in front of them, letting the rest of the group go on to progress and fight their way through Castle Oblivion.

* * *

 **NightOwl9810: *types a sentence while eating a jelly bean***

 **NightOwl9810: *stops* *scrunches up face and shakes head***

 **NightOwl9810: Ugh, cinnamon.**

 **Nightly: *sneaks up behind NightOwl9810* A-hem**

 **NightOwl9810: Ah! *looks around frantically and sees Nightly* Geez, don't scare me like that!**

 **Nightly: You owe them.**

 **NightOwl9810: I know, I know. I couldn't help it. I mean, what could I do: two jobs, a wedding, getting back to college, a hurricane. I've been busy. I am really sorry, though. I never meant for it to take this long.**

 **Nightly: *smiles helpfully* Well, on the bright side: we're a year old!**

 **NightOwl9810: Yeah, I know. I posted a chapter last year during a hurricane.**

 **Nightly: Oh, yeah...**

 **Ephemer: *pops head in* Is it our time to join the story now?**

 **Nightly & NightOwl9810: No!**

 **Nightly: *shoves him out of the room* You don't show up until Chapter 12: Realm of Darkness: Part 2!**

 **NightOwl9810: Spoilers, both of you!**

 **Nightly & Ephemer: Sorry! *leave room***

 **NightOwl9810: *groans and pinches bridge of nose* Well, at least now you know I have a plan for the next few chapters, right? I promise, I'm not leaving you guys hanging. I know where I want the story to go and even know how it ends, I'm just trying to figure out how to incorporate certain story aspects that are being a bit finnicky. That and life in general just keeps on truckin' and I have had a hard time lately with just sitting down and reaching the next checkpoint in the story.**

 **That being said, the next chapter is underway. I don't know when it will come out, but I will keep you guys up to date with the progress of the story as often as I can.**

 **In other news: AAAHHHHH! Guys, we have a release date! Although, I did run in to a fellow fan at one of my jobs who believes it will be delayed again. I, for one, am willing to stay optimistic about it. *whispers* I am literally crossing every finger and toe and squeeing inside my head so I don't wake up my parents and brother.**

 **Heh heh! Well, I'll see you guys next time!**


	10. Chapter 10- Castle Oblivion: Part 2

**Hello everyone!**

 **Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Happy Hanukah! Happy Kwanza! (Sorry if I missed anything!)**

 **The new chapter is ready, just in time for your holiday enjoyment. The next chapter will hopefully get out before the break is up, since I'm here until January 13** **th** **.**

 **With that said, let's get to it!**

* * *

The eighth floor of Caste Oblivion waited peacefully, the unseen magic preparing its next illusion. There were many interesting memories floating through its walls. A few stood out more than the rest. A young girl, no older than thirteen, she held intriguing images within her heart.

Memories of hardship, friendship, longing. And deep, deep down, begging to be called to the surface: memories of war. There were other memories, too. Oh, but that had to be impossible. Those memories…didn't belong. It almost seemed as if they weren't—

Oh, dear. Master Aqua was approaching. The magic hid itself as the doors to the floor flew open, Master Aqua leading the remaining friends as they sprinted away from the danger they faced on the previous floor. They all piled in before the door closed behind them.

There she was, at the caboose of the band of friends. The young girl. The magic within Castle Oblivion crept up behind this girl, feeling her memories. What illusion would bring those of war to the surface? The funny little creature from before had a good idea, but Castle Oblivion's magic knew it could be stronger.

* * *

Nightly felt a chill go down her spine. She shivered as she listened to Sora and Riku almost arguing over whether or not to go back for Kairi.

"She'll be fine, Riku. She and Lea have been training for a while. If they didn't think they could handle it, they wouldn't have told us to go on ahead."

"And what if something happens, Sora? She's a Princess of Heart, what if she gets hurt?"

"The we'll help her," Aqua interrupted. "But until that happens, we need to get through and out of this place as fast as possible. We have to get to Ven."

Nightly smiled sympathetically at the two. She knew she'd feel the same way if it came to Ephemer and Skuld. The disagreement resolved, they continued on. Nightly followed, but fought the urge to look behind her as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

She barely got a couple steps in before a scream erupted in her ears. She gave a shout of fright and spun, trying to see whatever it was that pierced the silent air of Castle Oblivion.

Everyone else jolted and watched as Nightly looked around frantically. She looked back to them and desperately said, "Please tell me you guys heard that, too."

Giving her a concerned look, the rest of the gang slowly shook their heads. Nightly sighed, beginning to think she was just going insane before another voice broke through the quiet.

"Nightly."

This time, everyone looked around, searching for the disembodied voice.

"Another nightmare?" Riku asked, ready to summon his Keyblade.

"No, something else is doing this," Chirithy replied, looking around the same as Nightly.

Once again, Nightly's name rang out throughout the castle. Then again, then again; each time a different voice, each time a different tone.

"I think we should leave," Mickey piped up.

Nightly nodded, covering her ears from the noise. The wielders and company bolted through the next door to the ninth floor, the door slamming behind them.

* * *

The magic watched the group retreat. In one final attempt, it softly called out a different name, the name which belonged to the misplaced memories. The girl paused at the other side of the threshold, and turned, looking back into the room, the slightest shade of green hinting around her deep brown eyes.

The magic smiled at its tiny victory as the doors to the ninth floor closed. It knew it was a matter of time before every and _all_ memory was called to the surface…

* * *

"You okay, Nightly?" Aqua asked.

"I…I think so," Nightly replied, turning away from the door. "What was that?"

"I have no idea," Aqua replied. "Castle Oblivion has a magic of its own, and uses peoples' memories to try and deceive them, but it shouldn't be active while I'm here. I have no idea why it's targeting you so much, Nightly. I'm really sorry about that."

Nightly gave Aqua a smile. "It's alright. It's not your fault. This was all to protect your friend, right? I'd say the castle's doing its job pretty well."

Aqua chuckled. "I guess so. Let's keep going." A collective nod went through the group, and they stepped to the next door, opening the doors to the tenth floor.

They walked briskly through, breathing a collective sigh of relief when no obstacles stood in their way. The doors to the eleventh floor were opened with hopeful gazes.

The friends poured in, Aqua and Riku pushing the door shut behind them. Backing away from the door, Riku froze when he heard the familiar sound of a time bubble being formed.

He turned, seeing Mickey already jumping in front of Donald and Goofy as the younger Xehanort fired a large Stopga and the pair. The king blocked the spell, and it dissipated. Young Xehanort stood before the group, looking at them with a blank yet menacing expression.

"'Bout time we ran into you," Riku said, stepping in front of his comrades to face Xehanort, who only responded with a bored smirk.

"Guess it's our turn," Sora said, summoning his Kingdom Key.

Riku put his hand in front of Sora, stopping him from coming any closer. "You guys go on ahead. Mickey and I can handle this."

"Are you sure?" Aqua asked, coming up behind Riku.

"Yeah," he said, looking behind him at his friends. "We got this."

Sora nodded to his friend. "Okay." He glanced at the rest of the party, and motioned for them to follow him. They ran around the impending battle and through the door to the twelfth floor.

* * *

The twelfth floor also held a visitor awaiting the remaining six friends. Having seen him first, Sora summoned his weapon and scowled at the old man standing before them. "Out of our way, Xehanort!"

Aqua summoned Master's Defense, and stood strong beside Sora. Nightly, who had yet to see the new threat, paused as an idea formed in her head. As Aqua demanded to be let by, she checked her inventory, a clever smile creeping on her face. She stole a glance at Chirithy, and the two exchanged a nod.

She lightly touched Aqua's shoulder. "Buy me some time. When the flash happens, sneak by him to the next room to Ven." Aqua discreet nod told her she understood.

Aqua waited for the signal Nightly described as Xehanort said. "You don't understand, my dear. I want to help young Ventus just as much as you do. You simply have no idea what's at stake should Ventus stay asleep much longer."

"Oh, I'm sure I have a pretty good idea," Aqua retorted.

She felt Nightly's hand on her shoulder again. "When I say so, run toward him and jump over him. That's how you'll get by him. Don't look back, just get to Ven." She nodded without moving as Xehanort continued.

"I just want to send Ventus back to where he belongs," Xehanort said.

"Now," Nightly whispered.

Aqua charged toward Xehanort. As she did so, a blinding light erupted from behind her. The sound of metal clashing against metal resounded around the room, and the light dissipated, revealing Aqua and Xehanort locked onto each other. Aqua jumped back, brandishing Stroke of Midnight in her fighting stance.

"He belongs with his friends," Aqua said, tensing to strike again.

Xehanort smirked. "It is clear you do not understand the true meaning of those words. But it matters not—Ventus will be where he truly belongs shortly."

Aqua once again charged towards Xehanort, swinging her Keyblade at him. Stroke of Midnight only phased through him, and he disappeared. A moment later and two figures took his place, both Sora recognized instantly.

"Look out!" he shouted, blocking the incoming blow from Ansem's guardian. Aqua saw it a second too late, but was spared from Xemnas's blow when Goofy threw his shield at the attacker. Aqua used the stagger to her advantage and struck Xemnas as Sora did the same to Ansem.

He dodge-rolled out of the way, glancing over at Aqua and Xemnas. His heart leapt at the sight when the two of them clashed together, sparks flying at the contact. The observation distracted him for a moment, and Donald called out to him just in time to dodge another blow.

"Sora, focus!" Goofy chastised.

"Sorry!" he called back. He fired a spell, stealing a glance back to the other two caught in the heat of battle, just in time to see Aqua get pushed back by Xemnas. His heart gave another unexplained leap as he actually leaped to dodge another blow from Ansem. He blinked, and a name bubbled in his chest. Before he knew it, his mouth opened and the name tumbled from his lips.

"TERRA!"

* * *

Kairi gave out a cry as she dodged another round of laser bullets from Xigbar's guns. Rolling too far too fast, she hit the wall and slumped with a dizzy head.

"Kairi!" Lea shouted, blocking an incoming blow from Saïx. The Luna Diviner came down with a heavy blow, making Lea cringe under the weight. Before he could recover, the redhead was thrown backwards as Saïx twisted around and landed a back-handed blow to his abdomen. Lea's back connected with the wall behind him, and he fell to his hands and knees.

He felt the claymore as it brushed up beside his ear. He looked up to see Saïx glaring down at him with his bright yellow eyes. Saïx brought the claymore back, about to deal a finishing blow, but Xigbar stopped him.

"We got a problem, Bluey," Xigbar said seriously.

"What do you mean? We seem to be winning," he said, ignoring the fact that Xigbar just called him a name he hated.

"As if," Xigbar scoffed. "You've been so caught up in your little revenge story, you haven't even noticed."

Saïx paused, his eyes wandering to a place beyond Xigbar. He huffed a sigh. "It seems…this must wait for another day, old friend," he sighed. In puffs of darkness, he and Xigbar disappeared from the battle.

"Lea?" Kairi asked lazily.

"Yeah," he answered, pulling himself up. "I'm right here, kiddo." He walked over to the injured Princess and knelt by her side. "You doing okay?"

She gave a soft smile. "I'll be fine. We should get to the others." She tried to stand, only for Lea to push her back down.

"Uh-uh. Come on, Kairi, I thought you had it memorized. We can't go anywhere in this castle without Aqua. We just have to wait here for them to get back with Ven."

Kairi paused, then huffed a sigh. "Yeah, okay, you're right. Let's just wait."

Lea chuckled. "Alright, then." He settled down beside the Princess of Heart and cast a Curaga on the both of them. They sat in silence, awaiting their friends' return.

* * *

Riku stumbled forward, trying to reach the time device. He thrust Way to Dawn toward another Xehanort, knowing he would disappear on impact, but also knowing he had to hit the illusion before a hit could be made upon himself.

He reached the device and delivered the final blow. _'Man, this gets redundant after a while,'_ he thought to himself.

The bubble disappeared, and once again the young nemesis stood before them. Xehanort looked at the two of them, his Keyblade aimed and ready to strike again, before his Keyblade suddenly disappeared.

"It seems we must finish this another time," he said with a smirk. "I look forward to facing you at the fated place." A cloud of darkness swirled up around him; and when it disappeared, he had gone, too.

Mickey walked up beside Riku as he sent Way to Dawn away. "What do you think that was about?" Riku asked his friend.

"I'm not sure," Mickey replied. "Guess now all we gotta do is wait for Aqua and the others to come back."

"Guess so," Riku agreed. He leaned back against the wall and stared at the door, ready for his friends to come back through.

* * *

"TERRA!"

The name echoed off the walls, silencing everything else happening within the room. Xemnas paused, as did Ansem. Aqua and Sora looked between the two in confusion, before a loud growl came from the guardian.

It disappeared into darkness, and Ansem clutched at his chest. "No, not you, not now."

The seven collectively turned to the door to the thirteenth floor as it opened. "What?!" Sora asked in surprise.

There, in the doorway, stood another Aqua. A blonde boy on her back, she looked up at her doppelganger with just as much confusion.

Again, the silence was interrupted by Ansem. "We must…leave," he grunted. He summoned a Corridor of Darkness around himself and Xemnas, leaving the room before any argument could be made from his partner.

The threat gone, the Aqua from the thirteenth floor stepped down to the other Aqua and Sora. "What was that all about?" she asked.

Sora tried to answer, "I…I don't—"

"You called him 'Terra'," the other Aqua said.

"What?" asked the Aqua carrying the unconscious boy.

The Aqua in question put her hand to her shoulder. In a flash of light, Nightly once again stood before the two. "The guy I was fighting. You called him 'Terra'." She looked at the four shocked faces staring back at her and added, "I can explain; but later, okay?"

"Okay," Sora agreed slowly, still trying to figure out everything that just happened.

"What do you mean you called someone Terra? Where did you hear that name?" Aqua asked, looking slightly desperately at Sora.

"I…I don't know. I just saw Nightly and Xemnas fighting, and suddenly I just…shout 'Terra'. I don't know why, I've never met a 'Terra' before." He ran a hand through his hair. "This doesn't make any sense."

Aqua sighed. "Well, we'll worry about it later. We should get out of here before we run into any more trouble."

"Definitely," Sora agreed, Nightly nodding along with him. He looked to the familiar-looking boy on Aqua's back. "So, is that him?"

Aqua smiled at Sora and turned so he could see the boy. "Yes," she said contently, "this is Ven."

* * *

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. How did you like the inclusion of the view of Castle Oblivion itself? That was a spur-of-the-moment idea, but ended up setting something intriguing in motion.**

 **I know ending the chapter at Aqua introducing Ventus to Sora is a little sudden, but the conversation about Roxas looking like Ventus** _ **will**_ **happen and be resolved, do not worry!**

 **And like I said earlier, I will try to get the next chapter out before break is over. Stay tuned everyone!**


	11. Chapter 11- Realm of Darkness: Part 1

**Okay, confession time.**

 **Two days after I posted the last chapter, it suddenly hit me while I was eating breakfast that I forgot to replace the "Grey line"s with ACTUAL grey lines. *Covers face in embarrassment***

 **I've gone back and fixed that, and made sure to do that with this one, too.**

 **I type all my chapters into Word documents, since Word has the spelling and grammar check. To tell myself where to put the grey lines, I type "Grey line" at the break. I was so excited to get the last chapter out, I forgot to replace the words with the thing. LOL**

 **Oh, well. It's fixed now, and hopefully it won't happen again.**

 **As promised, the next chapter!**

* * *

Nightly sighed, keeping pace with the Gummi Ships to her right. She threw the occupants of the three ships a sidelong glance. She was thankful Yen Sid was able to magic something into her helmet for the time being until someone could properly install a communications device; but since being put in…

She was having a hard time trying to turn it off.

"So, tell me again what Nobodies are," Aqua implored.

"Who," Sora corrected, "When someone is turned into a Heartless, their leftover body becomes its own person. Or, at least, that's what it's supposed to be."

"What do you mean?" Aqua asked.

"Sora and Roxas were the only pair of Nobody and Original to exist at the same time," Riku explained.

"Well, besides me and Naminé," Kairi cut in, "but that's another story."

"And Roxas isn't Ventus?" Aqua questioned.

"No," Sora answered immediately. "Roxas is his own person. Not me, or Ventus, or anyone."

"I'll say," Lea agreed. "I knew Ventus, and Axel knew Roxas. Those two are as different as night and day."

"Who's Axel?" Aqua asked.

"My Nobody," Axel replied simply.

Nightly heard Aqua give a groan. "So, if you're a separate person from Axel, why do you have his memories?"

"Because that's normal when a Nobody returns to the person they once were," Lea explained. "When I became a Heartless, I stayed that way until someone freed my heart. When Axel destroyed himself to help Sora, my two halves reformed to make me again. Axel's memories came with his half."

"Okay, so why didn't that apply to Sora and Roxas?"

"Because Sora existed at the same time as Roxas. They were too separate. Sora never gained Roxas's memories," Riku explained.

Sora added, "Actually, I did, but Roxas had to give them to me directly. That happened in the Dream Realm while I was in the second sleep."

"Uh…Dream Realm?" Aqua asked. Nightly turned her eyes to Sora, finding interest in the term as well.

"We'll—er—explain later," Riku brushed off, knowing Sora was still a little uncomfortable with the whole ordeal of almost becoming a vessel.

Aqua sighed again. "Okay. We can discuss this later, it's all…making my head hurt."

A small collective chuckle passed through the communication link as everyone had to agree with the Master. However, she wasn't quite done with her questions. "So, Nightly?" Aqua asked.

"Hm?" Nightly returned.

"How were you able to look like me back there?"

"Oh, um…" Nightly began, gathering her thoughts to explain. "Okay, so, those of us in Daybreak Town are able to change the way we look. We can change anything from the color of our skin to our eyes and hair, pretty much anything."

"So, you don't know what you were born looking like?" Kairi inquired.

"Oh, we do," Nightly clarified, "but those of us who wish to change that—can. I didn't change much, just my hairstyle. For me, it just feels wrong to be something I wasn't made to be, you know?"

"But how does that apply to you looking like me for a while?" Aqua pressed.

Nightly answered, "Well, we get the power to change like that from something of the Foretellers called the Book of Prophecies. It's a book with mysterious power to see the future. Certain powers are given to us, thusly, like the ability to look like certain people from the…outside of Daybreak Town…" Nightly trailed off for a moment, feeling a tug in her heart and shaking a dizziness out of her head.

"So, this Book of Prophecies gives you the power to look like me?" Aqua clarified. "Is there anyone else you can look like?"

"Um…" Nightly mused, feeling the dizziness fade away. "I can look like Kairi, and the Naminé girl she mentioned. I also have the coat those people were wearing in Castle Oblivion. The…black coat?"

"You have an Organization coat?!" Sora asked incredulously.

Chirithy cut in. "Yes, but…that coat was worn by the Master of Masters and his sixth apprentice, Master Luxu. It wasn't such a symbol of evil before, what happened?"

"Before what, Chirithy?" Nightly asked innocently.

Chirithy froze in his place by Aqua's side, knowing he slipped up. He tried to feign as best he could, knowing he couldn't do anything while being so far away from Nightly. "Before we left Daybreak Town. Apparently, that coat means something different outside of our world."

"Yeah, I guess so," Nightly agreed.

Chirithy breathed a small sigh of relief, and Aqua gave him a small smile. _Keeping such a secret from a close friend must be exhausting,_ she thought to herself, rubbing her Wayfinder between her fingers as she looked to Ventus asleep in the seat she stood next to. _Soon,_ she told herself, _very, very soon._

"Guys, we're reaching the Tower," Riku said to the comms.

"Ah, finally," Sora replied, stretching his arms up before once again taking control of his ship.

The three Gummi Ships and their satellite entered the atmosphere of the Mysterious Tower and lowered onto the ground. Nightly, having landed first, erupted in a short glow upon landing; and reappeared in her regular outfit. She shielded her eyes as she watched the Gummi Ships land softly, dirt and dust swirling around her as her scarf whips back in the wind.

The ships land, the three engines winding down at different intervals until they are nothing more than a lull before powering down altogether. Nightly uncovered her eyes in time to see the hatches hiss down and her friends exit their respective ships.

"Hey, kiddo," Chirithy greeted, bouncing into her arms. She hugged her friend close, looking up to see Aqua carrying Ven on her back coming out of the ship Chirithy did.

The two smiled at each other, Aqua giving Nightly a nod of thanks. Nightly returned it, and began walking with Aqua to the tower, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy following close behind.

Riku watch them go, Sora looking back at his friend and asking, "Are you okay?"

Riku snapped out of his trance and glanced at the brunette before returning his gaze to the boy on Master Aqua's back.

"Yeah," he replied. "I'm just…thinking."

"What about?" Sora inquired.

Riku nodded in the direction of Ventus. "I feel like…I think I've met him before, I just can't seem to remember where."

Sora looked at Ventus, and fought the urge to clutch his chest as he felt his heart give another leap. "Maybe you're thinking of Roxas. Ventus looks just like him."

"Yeah, that's what I thought, too," Riku agreed, his mind once again grasping for _where_ he had seen him before. "But that's just not it."

The two boys were pulled out of there thoughts when Kairi put a hand on each of their shoulders. "You guys okay?"

The two exchanged a glance before looking to Kairi. "Yeah. Yeah, we're fine," Sora said.

Kairi gave them a smile. "Okay, then. Let's go tell Master Yen Sid the good news."

Lea chuckled from behind the trio. "Well, you can't do that standing here." He nudged the three forward. "Let's get going."

* * *

Master Yen Sid looked up from his desk as he saw young Nightly push the door open for Master Aqua, Chirithy hopping out of Aqua's way, only to fall over himself before popping back up. He smiled at the sight of a still-sleeping Ventus on Master Aqua's back. He motioned for Aqua to set Ventus behind his desk.

Nightly helped Aqua take Ventus off her back as Mickey, Donald, and Goofy chatted about something in hushed voices. Yen Sid, however, could not help but hear the Captain of the Guard saying something along the lines of, "And then Ansem started acting like he was fightin' somethin' fierce." While that line of conversation seemed intriguing, it would have to wait. If Master Yen Sid knew his apprentice and his comrades, then the fact they were not talking about this with the others meant it needed to be spoken about behind closed doors.

Master Yen Sid turned his attention away from the three and smiled warmly as the remaining four members of the party came into the room. Nightly and Aqua joined them, Chirithy held in Nightly's arms, where the Spirit seemed to have fallen asleep for the time being.

"It is good to see you have all have returned safely from Castle Oblivion," he said, regarding them warmly. "I know I don't need to ask to know you faced adversaries while you visited, maybe even faced events that you cannot explain." He paused when he saw Nightly give a glance to Sora, who seemed lost in thought at the moment.

"However, while you may want answers, I believe it is best for you all to get some rest. Gather your thoughts, and we shall all speak about today's events after you've all rested," he concluded, noting their tired faces relax with the idea of sleep.

Sora stretched his arms up over his head. "Not gonna lie, that sounds like a great idea."

Riku scoffed, "Says the guy that slept for a year straight."

Sora lazily pointed a finger at Riku. "That's not exactly my fault."

Kairi giggled softly, then yawned herself. "Well, year or not, I'm beat." She moved to leave the room. "I'll see you guys in the morning," she said, disappearing around the corner.

"I'm gonna hit the sack, too," Lea agreed, heading to his own room. "G'night, everyone."

"Goodnight," the remaining four echoed, before they all filed out of the room one by one. Nightly was the last out, and she turned to give the master a small wave before turning down the hall.

He nodded in return, before turning his attention to his apprentice and his comrades. "Mickey," he said, once the door had closed, "please—tell me what troubles you."

Mickey approached the desk, Donald and Goofy coming up behind him. He looked to his old master with concern before he said, "Master Yen Sid, we may have just found where Terra is."

* * *

"Hey, Nightly," Aqua said, stopping the young girl before she went into her room. Nightly looked over her shoulder before facing Aqua completely with a curious expression.

"Is everything alright?" Aqua inquired. "You've seemed a little tense since we got back."

Nightly nodded, pushing down the memory of Sora shouting 'Terra'. "I'm fine. Just…a lot of weird stuff happened at Castle Oblivion. I guess I'm still trying to make sense of it all."

Aqua offered her a small smile. "I understand. I didn't think it would be able to affect anyone as long as I was around. And targeting you so much…I just don't know what happened."

Nightly's gaze trailed to the floor, lost in thought. Something tickled her memory. A name stood out to her. It wasn't her name, it was someone else's. She swore she had never heard it before, but for some reason, her heart jumped when it was said. What was it again…? _I think…it started with a—_

"Nightly," Aqua said softly.

"Hm?" Nightly snapped out of her stupor, her head jerking up to meet Aqua's eye again.

Aqua looked at Nightly for a moment. _She must just be tired; and worried about her friends, too._

"Get some sleep. Once we're all up, we can go to the Realm of Darkness and find your friends," Aqua smiled.

Nightly tensed the slightest bit, but not enough for Aqua to notice. She nodded with her body, looking up at Aqua with a lopsided, sleepy smile. "Goodnight, Aqua."

"Goodnight, Nightly," Aqua returned with a chuckle, going back to her own room. Nightly watched her go before entering her own room.

Nightly closed the door, crossing the room to the bed, where she carefully sat and held Chirithy for a moment before stroking his head to wake him.

He yawned, "Yeah, kiddo? What is it?"

"I need to talk to you about something," Nightly said, setting the Spirit down in front of her.

Chirithy rubbed his eyes, the small blue orbs looking up at Nightly, waiting for her to continue.

Nightly hesitated a moment, weaving the end of her scarf between her fingers before answering, "I'm going back to the Realm of Darkness alone."

Silence fell between the two, and they stared at each other for a moment before Chirithy blatantly said, "No."

Nightly sighed, "Chirithy—"

"You're not going in there alone," Chirithy interrupted. "You do remember the state we were in last time we were in there, right? What if that happens to you again?"

"I can't ask Aqua to go back to the Realm of Darkness, not with her friend in the state he's in. And something's going on with Sora, he's got enough to worry about. His friends are worried about him. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy are acting strange. Everyone's got something on their minds; but all I can think about is Ephemer and Skuld still stuck in the Realm of Darkness. I can't ask them to go to the Realm of Darkness with me with unclear minds, it'll just make things harder for them."

Chirithy stayed silent for a moment. "Chirithy?" Nightly asked.

Chirithy groaned slightly. "Of course, I agree with you. I don't have to tell you the Realm of Darkness is a dangerous place when you can't think straight."

Nightly smiled patiently. "But," Chirithy continued, "you can't leave right now. You've had a long day, and I can't send you somewhere so dangerous when you haven't had any sleep. I can put you into a deep sleep for a few hours, and when you wake up, it'll feel like you've had a full night of sleep, and you'll be able to leave a few hours before anyone else has woken up."

"That's perfect," Nightly said, pulling Chirithy into a hug. "Thank you so much, Chirithy."

"I _am_ going to tell Master Yen Sid once you fall asleep so at least _someone_ will know where you are in the morning," Chirithy added with a pout in his voice.

Nightly chuckled, "Fair enough."

Chirithy sighed. "Okay, let's get you to sleep."

Nightly nodded, letting go of Chirithy. She pulled her glasses off her nose and set them on the table beside her bed. She lay down and closed her eyes.

She felt Chirithy's paw on her forehead, and felt consciousness suddenly fall away from her as she heard him mutter, "Sleep."

* * *

Yen Sid's brow furrowed in concentration. _This is quite intriguing, indeed,_ he thought to himself. He opened his eyes and looked to Donald and Goofy. "And you're certain it was Sora who said this, and not Aqua?"

"Well, that's the thing, Master," Goofy began, "see, uh…"

"It wasn't even Aqua fighting with us!" Donald finished.

Goofy continued, "Turns out Nightly can transform into certain people the same way she can wear Gummi parts to fly."

Yen Sid's brow furrowed once more. "And how, may I ask, is that even possible?"

"She explained it on the way back," Mickey elaborated. "It seems her and those who lived in Daybreak Town were able to use certain abilities from the Book of Prophecies to look like people from the future—or at least, her future."

Yen Sid stroked his beard. "Perhaps her friends will be able to tell us more. I doubt she can at the moment, with her memories in the state they are."

Mickey nodded solemnly in agreement. "It would be nice if we could convince them to tell her the truth, too."

This time, the rest of the room's occupants nodded as well. "Honestly," Goofy piped up, "I'm havin' a hard time believin' someone was able to survive the Keyblade War." Donald nodded next to him with a quack.

A knock on the door interrupted their thoughts. "Enter," Yen Sid called gruffly.

The door opened, and Chirithy stuck his head inside. "I apologize, Master. Am I interrupting anything?"

"No, please come in," Yen Sid replied, ushering in the small Spirit.

Chirithy hopped into the room, heaving the door shut behind him. He hopped back around to face the retired Master and said, "Master Yen Sid, Nightly will be leaving in a few hours to go to the Realm of Darkness alone."

The announcement was like a shockwave to Mickey, Donald, and Goofy, who all made their respective sounds of surprise at the news. Yen Sid, however, sat as stoic as ever, waiting for the Dream Eater to continue.

"She wishes to go there alone because she doesn't want to put anyone in danger," Chirithy explained. "She knows everyone has a lot on their minds right now, and that sending them into the Realm of Darkness with her would only put them at risk with their heavy thoughts."

Yen Sid stayed silent for a moment, before letting a small smile grace his features. "I assume you will take necessary precautionary measures before she enters?"

"Yes, Master," Chirithy replied immediately. "I am already preparing a spell that will keep away most of the darkness."

"Most?" Yen Sid inquired.

Chirithy elaborated, "If I keep away all of the darkness, she won't be able to find her friends. They will most likely be surrounded by the same darkness she was when Master Aqua found her. She already knows where to go, a dream told her that. But helping her get there is something I must help her with, and that spell is the best way for me to do so."

"Why can'cha go with her?" Goofy questioned.

"I can make the spell, but can't apply it to myself, only to my wielder. If I go there, I'll just end up like I was last time," the tiny Dream Eater shuddered at the thought as Mickey gave him a look of sympathy.

"Very well," Yen Sid said to Chirithy. "But, should she not come back within a couple of days, I will not be able to stop the others from going after her."

"I understand, Master," Chirithy said with a nod. "She'll be back before long." Chirithy pulled the door open and hopped around, about to leave.

"One moment, Chirithy," Mickey called. The Spirit stopped, poking his head back into the doorway.

Mickey continued, "You were there when Sora called out that name. What do you make of the situation?"

Chirithy paused for a moment, replaying the moment in his mind. "If I had to say, it seemed like it wasn't just a sporadic moment. It seemed like Sora was being affected by something, like a memory resurfacing. I could feel him going through a bout of something like déjà vu, only it wasn't…it wasn't his. He was confused, but he kept staring at Xemnas and Nightly—as Aqua. Something about the two of them fighting triggered the misplaced déjà vu, and he shouted out the name."

A moment of silence fell around the small group. "So, you mean…it might not have been Sora saying that?"

Chirithy hesitated. "I'm not fully aware of the situation, but essentially…yes, that's what I believe. It seems Sora has some memories that aren't his, but to whom they belong, I have no idea."

Another moment of silence passed through the group, before Yen Sid said, "Thank you, Chirithy. Give Nightly my regards when she leaves in the morning."

Chirithy gave a slight bow. "Yes, Master, I will. Thank you." The Spirit hopped out of the room, pulling the door shut behind him.

Yen Sid waited a moment before speaking again. "Mickey."

"Hm?" Mickey asked, looking up at Master Yen Sid.

"It seems we must keep a closer eye on Sora over the next couple of days," Master Yen Sid suggested.

"I think so, too," Mickey agreed.

* * *

The dark sediment crunched under Nightly's shoes as she landed. She straightened and took in a deep breath. A dark path stretched out before her, and she steeled herself for the trek ahead.

She took a look down at the bangle Chirithy had given her, the slight glow giving her comfort in the surrounding darkness. She took a step forward, and immediately a Shadow appeared to her right. She paused, hesitating for a moment. The bangle's magic took effect, and the Shadow cowered away from her, disappearing into the ground and scurrying away.

She breathed a sigh of relief, heading deeper into the Realm of Darkness with renewed confidence.

* * *

 **There we go! As promised, here's the next chapter before I begin my classes. To make it even better, this turned out to be the longest chapter I've written thus far. Hopefully there'll be some longer ones in the future!**

 **Okay, couple things to talk about. First off: you guys are amazing! Thank you to all of you wonderful people who have followed/favorited my work in the past year and a half! And thank you to everyone who has reviewed my story! You guys encourage me to keep doing my absolute best for this story and give it my all to tell this the way I want it to be told.**

 **That being said, I have taken on a New Year's resolution to stick to my original plan and have monthly updates. Not one every three-to-six months, once a month. My schedule this semester is more easy-going, so I want to dedicate more of my time to writing this story. I mean, I just proved to myself that I can write better chapters if I just sit down more to focus on them, so, there we go!**

… **huh, feeling a little emotional today, I guess. I just moved in today, and halfway through finishing this chapter, I discovered something rather annoying that has turned into rather the mystery that may not get solved. Oh, well.** **¯\\_(** **ツ** **)_/¯**

 **So, now I'm listening to Markiplier, and I'm feeling happier, so that's good.**

 **Okay: chapter, check; actual grey lines, check; stupidly long outro, check LOL.**

 **I'll see you guys next time, where we'll join Nightly in her quest through the Realm of Darkness; and we'll be with the rest of the gang as they try to figure out just what happened with Sora in Castle Oblivion.**

 **P.S. for anyone who is wondering why Riku can't remember meeting Ventus: he was still in a dream. In fact, he was in a heart that had been put into a second sleep, so he was basically within the deepest sleep you could get, and the people he met were practically a dream. You know those deep dreams where you just can't remember what they were about when you wake up? Yeah, that's basically what Riku's going through right now. Really frustrating times for the big guy.**

 **Anyway, enough rambling. I'll see you guys in the next one!**


	12. Chapter 12- Realm of Darkness: Part 2

**Hello, again!**

 **I meant to get this chapter out sooner, but…Kingdom Hearts 3 happened. I have nothing else to say, other than this chapter ended up being the longest chapter I've written…ever. Over 6,000 words! I'm hoping every chapter after this will be around the same length, but depending on what I want to say, and how I want to say it will determine if that will actually happen. We'll have to just wait and see!**

 **So…many of you may have questions when this chapter is finished. As much as you won't want to hear…I cannot answer those questions lest I spoil my own story. Even though those questions will remain unanswered, I won't mind if you ask them—although they may all be met with, "All in good time, my friends."**

 **Okay, enough teasing. The next chapter!**

* * *

A lone Shadow cowered further into the darkness of a dead tree. It looked again at the object of its concealment.

A single girl walked around the area surrounding the cottage. The Shadow had followed its instincts to her, and could feel the lights of two hearts residing within her. Quite a catch for a Heartless, especially one of its stature.

But something was keeping at bay: the bangle clasped on her wrist. The Shadow hissed to itself as she came a little closer, its violent impulses completely overridden by the urge to run. Whatever was put on that thing was not allowing the Shadow to attack the vulnerable girl; and instead, it was forced to hide. Such a shameful act made the Shadow bristle in the darkness.

The girl wandered over to the entrance of the cottage. The Shadow felt the fearful sense leave its being. Finally, she was far away enough.

The Shadow slinked out of its hiding spot, cutting through the clearing while giving the girl a wide berth to avoid whatever spell was keeping the Shadow away. The Shadow disappeared into the darkness just as it heard the girl mutter something to herself.

"Where is she?"

* * *

"Where is she?" Master Aqua demanded.

"The Realm of Darkness," Chirithy replied simply, keeping his gaze steady on Aqua's eyes.

A silence fell across everyone in the room. "We have to go after her," Kairi spoke up first.

"I—that's not a good idea," Chirithy quickly replied.

"So what?" Sora retorted. "She might need help! Who knows what'll happen if she's alone?"

"Until I deem it necessary, you are all forbidden from following her," Yen Sid commanded.

Silence fell across the group once again as the words of the elder master sunk in. The friends exchanged glances with one another, incredulous expressions passing between them.

"Besides," Chirithy added softly, "if everything goes well, she won't be alone for very long."

Lea sighed uneasily, "So, what are we supposed to do, then?"

Mickey answered, "We need to discuss the events of yesterday's events." He looked to Sora. "Sora, you said a name yesterday when you saw Nightly—as Aqua—fighting Xemnas. What was that name?"

Sora glanced uncomfortably at the floor before bringing his gaze back up to Mickey and answering, "Terra."

Aqua couldn't help the shout of surprise that escaped her. In all the talk about Nobodies and similarities and future powers yesterday, this piece of information had not even been brought up. "T…Terra?"

"Um…yes?" Sora asked. "You know a Terra?"

"Terra is Ven's and my friend," Aqua explained. "Xehanort lied to him and manipulated him to do terrible things, and he ended up taking control of Terra's heart. I thought I was able to help Terra take back control, but seeing as no one has heard from him since then, I doubt it ended up working…" Aqua trailed off, her eyes falling to the floor.

Mickey nodded in sympathy, knowing the struggle his friend had gone through—was still going through. "Sora," he asked, "could 'ya please tell us what happened right before 'ya called out his name?"

Chirithy watched Sora think for a moment before the brunette replied, "I'm…well…when I saw Aqua and Xemnas fighting, I had this weird feeling in my heart. Something about the way her Keyblade clashed with his blades, something in Aqua's expression, I don't know. It…for some reason, it made me see Xemnas…differently."

"Differently…how?" Kairi pushed.

"I don't know, he just…suddenly wasn't Xemnas anymore. And when he wasn't, Terra's name just…came out."

"But why?" Aqua pressed. "I've only met you once, and I never even summoned my Keyblade in front of you." Her thoughts went to Terra, and what she felt within Riku when she visited the island.

"Riku, you met Terra on Destiny Island." She reasoned. "Did Sora?"

Everyone's attention focused on Riku, who hadn't said a word throughout the entire conversation. The silvette in question had his gaze trained on the sleeping boy on the other side of the study.

Riku's brows knit together in thought, and his eyes squinted in concentration. He hadn't heard Aqua's question. He was thinking too hard.

He took in every detail he could about Ventus: his hair, his face, the way he was dressed. He focused on all the combined features until his mind suddenly presented him with an image of the blonde standing on the shore of Destiny Island, facing him with bright, sad blue eyes, his face peacefully expressionless. A voice echoed through Riku's mind.

" _What is it you want more than anything else?"_

Riku's sudden realization made him jolt back into reality. His eyes went immediately to Sora, and the brunette looked back at his friend with concern.

"Sora," Riku began, still trying to overcome his revelation, "I know where I've seen Ventus before."

"Okay…" Sora replied slowly, letting Riku continue.

"Your heart."

* * *

The floorboards creaked underneath Nightly's feet as she ascended. She ran her hand across the worn wooden railing, feeling her way up the stairs of the dimly lit cottage.

She reached the top, and immediately felt goosebumps run up her arms. She preemptively summoned her Keyblade, approaching the sole door atop the stairs. She pushed it open, and felt her blood run cold.

Seven beds furnished the otherwise empty room, three on either side, and one at the end of the small aisle—just as she remembered when she last visited the Dwarves. The only foreign object within the room was that of a girl standing at the foot of the seventh bed. A couple inches taller than Nightly, she stood with her back turned to the brunette, her dark hair trailing down her back and an even darker, ominous mist whisping about her figure.

The mist floated and twisted as if in a breeze, though the girl's skirt, jacket, and hair did not move along with it. There she stood, head slightly bowed, and Nightly felt her throat tighten and tears spring to her eyes.

S…Skuld?" she asked timidly.

The girl in question didn't move at first. Slowly, her head rose, and she stared at the wall above the bed. "Hmm," Skuld mused, an evil undertone in her speech, "I recognize that voice. It sounds like the voice of a friend I once knew."

Nightly swallowed hard and tried to hide the shaking in her voice. "Skuld, I'm right here. It's me, it's Nightly."

"Nightly," Skuld said slowly. A chuckle curled around the room, akin to the smoky tendrils now worming their way around the room. Nightly took a step back as her feet almost made contact with the dark mist, her bangle's power unable to protect her from darkness this strong.

Skuld began to turn, her head tilted back to show Nightly a toothy grin. Her normal light brown eyes almost glowed amber in the dark, and it only made Nightly all the more nervous.

She shook her head, trying to shake away the fear. She had to save her friend. She had to.

"Skuld," Nightly said, stronger than she felt. "I don't want to fight you."

Skuld's face faltered, and she almost seemed to recognize Nightly for a moment before the darkness closed in on her once again. This temporary change in expression caught Nightly off-guard, and she barely had time to register Skuld lunging at her with Keyblade drawn before she put up her own.

Their blades clashed, and Skuld leaned in inches from Nightly's face before she said, "Funny. Because I _do_ want to fight you." Skuld pushed away from Nightly, flipping backwards and the darkness catching her, slowing her motion before stopping her completely, holding her aloft a few inches off the ground.

The force of the motion sent Nightly to the ground. She looked up at her levitating friend, slowly rising as she began preparing her next move. She threw her hand to the side, activating her next medal's special attack as quickly as she could.

She felt the heat of a purple blade of light appearing in her left hand. She jumped towards Skuld, unleashing the thirteen-move attack.

Something was wrong. Nightly landed, the attack having been completed, but Skuld hadn't even flinched. Nightly caught her breath, looking up at her friend's HP bar. She hadn't even touched Skuld.

' _The darkness has made her invincible',_ Nightly thought, dread creeping into her gut. _'No, wait…'_

She thought back to when she was trapped in the darkness. The only thing that dispelled it was Aqua's light spell. _'But I don't know that kind of magic!'_ Nightly thought hopelessly.

Skuld took advantage of Nightly's hesitation. She barely moved, but the darkness moved for her. The tendrils wrapped around Nightly, the fingers chilling her to her core. She gasped, feeling herself being thrown over Skuld's shoulder. She felt her back connect with glass, the tendrils letting go of her as she was thrown out the window.

Nightly was faced with the terrifying image of getting further away from the window of the cottage before landing painfully on her back. She pulled in a strained breath, trying to reorient herself as she turned over and tried to stand. She was barely on her elbows when she saw Skuld floating down to meet her.

She forced herself up, feeling a primal anger flare up within her. Not at Skuld, but the thing making her act like this. _'She must be hurting really deep down',_ Nightly figured, summoning her Keyblade again.

Now out of the shadows of he room, Nightly could see the darkness more clearly. She could easily see it coming for another pass at her, and dodged out of the way. Her turn.

She pointed her Keyblade at Skuld, about to fire a simple spell she picked up from watching the others fight. But instead of the magical cloud of ice she wanted to cast, she felt the anger within her grow, and a bright white light flared at the tip of her Keyblade. It rocketed towards Skuld, hitting her directly in the shoulder.

Skuld screeched, clutching her shoulder as she shot a look at her offender. As she did, Nightly could see the darkness peel away from her face. Her eyes lost their amber sheen, and her face took on a look of surprise as Skuld registered what was happening in front of her.

"Nightly?" she asked, a waver in her voice. She felt the dark presence around her, and looked down, giving a cry of shock at what she saw. "Nighlty!" she shouted, throwing her hand out toward her friend before the darkness covered her face again, her eyes falling blank and the amber glow overtaking her irises.

Nightly felt the anger flare up, taking over her entire being. The head of her Keyblade erupted in the light once again. She aimed it at Skuld, feeling hot tears spill down her face as she shouted, "Let. Go. Of my. FRIEND!"

Skuld was engulfed by the light, the darkness around her disintegrating into nothingness.

* * *

Riku ran down the beach of Sora's heart. After he remembered where Ventus was, Sora had suggested Riku dive within his heart again to talk to Ven, and tell him Aqua was here.

Riku looked up the Paopu Tree, seeing the three figures from before sitting next to each other on the tree. He jumped up, grabbing the planks and hoisting himself up, not bothering to take the stairs.

"Ventus!" he shouted as his feet hit the sand of the smaller island. He stopped a few feet away, catching his breath. "Aqua's here."

Riku didn't get a response for a moment. Finally, the blonde teenager in question answered, "I know." Ventus hopped down from his position between the other two, coming around the tree to face Riku. The other two, Roxas and the girl Riku didn't recognize turned on the tree to watch the two converse.

"You…you know?" Riku asked.

Ven smiled patiently. "Who do you think recognized Terra?"

Riku paused, then smiled to himself. Of course, it was him. Then he stopped. "Wait…recognized?"

Ven's smile faltered, his gaze falling to the sand. "I was watching Aqua as she fought that Xemnas guy. The way they locked weapons, it was just like Aqua and Terra at their Mark of Mastery exam. Once I thought that, everything about Xemnas, it just…added up to Terra. He…he looks just like him, but I don't know how, or why." He sighed, hugging himself lightly. "It doesn't make any sense."

Riku approached the blonde, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll figure it out, and help Terra, too." He added, "I kinda…owe him a lot, too."

Ven looked up at Riku, a smile lighting up his face once again.

"So," Riku asked, "ready to get back to your own body?"

Ven's face looked surprised for a moment, then fell again. "I'd love to, but…Sora's heart is locked to the three of us. The only reason you can come in and out freely is because you mastered the ability to wake sleeping hearts, which was Sora's at the time. Sora's heart is unlocked to you, but not to us."

Riku reeled back at the news. "So, how _can_ you get out?"

Ven's eyes rose in thought. "As far as I know, there's only one way to do that, and it did happen, once. The last time that happened, Sora unlocked his own heart with that one Keyblade. I was released, but ended up with him." Ven pointed his head in Roxas's direction.

Riku looked from Roxas, to Ven, and back again. "That explains so much," he thought aloud.

Roxas crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at Riku, the most non-Sora action he could have taken at the moment.

Riku shrugged slightly, amending his previous statement, "Though apparently not enough."

Roxas chuckled. "You know all those negative emotions Sora never seems to feel?" He pointed a finger to himself. "Those all ended up with me."

Riku barked out a laugh. "Okay, definitely explains a lot." His laughter was echoed by the other three as the situation was temporarily forgotten about.

Riku sighed, his gaze returning to Ventus. "Well, since you can't come back yet, would you like me to pass along a message for right now?"

Ven thought for a second. Before he could say anything, Roxas piped up, "Yeah, tell Sora not to fall asleep for a year again."

Riku chuckled. "Will do." He addressed Ven again. "Ven?"

Ven kept his gaze down for a moment before looking back up to Riku. "Yeah. Could you tell Aqua somethin' for me?"

* * *

Nightly blinked the light out of her eyes, trying to adjust to the darker lighting of the Realm of Darkness once again.

Once she had, she saw Skuld collapsed on the ground where she had been struck. "Skuld!" Nightly called, running to her friend and kneeling down beside her. She turned Skuld over, feeling her breath on her hand. Nightly sighed in relief. She didn't know that type of power was within her, and she was worried she had gone a little overboard.

' _Must be the darkness',_ she thought, recalling she herself had been momentarily unconscious after being freed from the same type of darkness.

She pulled Skuld's arm over her shoulder, pulling her up and holding her as tightly as she could with her other arm. She took a couple shaky steps forward before catching her balance properly and trudging forward with Skuld at her side.

She kept her eyes trained on the ground as she walked. Soon, the rocky, grassy terrain began to gradually form into cobblestone. When she passed the last grassy patch, she felt a warmth and saw a light coming from behind her.

Nightly turned in time to see the Dwarf Woodlands slowly being engulfed in orbs of light. They crescendoed, rising into the abyss, and soon Nightly couldn't see a single leaf on any of the trees. In a small, final burst of light, the Dwarf Woodlands disappeared completely, a dark, winding, sandy path in its place.

' _Back to the Realm of Light',_ she thought, a small smile forming on her face. She turned back to the path ahead and continued on, heading for the fountain in the middle of Castle Town.

* * *

Riku's eyes blinked open, and he stared up at the ceiling of the Mysterious Tower before he sat up slowly, shaking the sleep out of his head.

"Did you talk to him?" Sora asked, kneeling next to Riku as he got his bearings.

"Yeah," he replied, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"What did he say?" Aqua asked, her excitement getting the best of her.

"Well, first off," Riku said, "Ven said it was him who called out to Terra. He…sensed Terra somehow…within Xemnas."

"But…how?" Aqua egged on. Riku stayed silent, he didn't have an answer to that.

There _was_ something he had to say, though. "Ventus _did_ want me to tell you something, Aqua," Riku said.

"Yeah?" Aqua asked, curious.

"Um…" Riku scratched the back of his head. "He said, 'You could've at least brought a blanket.'"

* * *

Nightly plopped down next to Skuld, leaning back against the fountain with a sigh. She could just see the Castle of Dreams over the tops of the houses. She huffed a tired sigh, looking up at the oddly beautiful sky above her. The strange stars glinted above her, and she glanced at Skuld, who still had not woken up yet.

She thought back to the dream she'd had. Skuld had been in the cottage, just like she'd seen. So, that had to mean Ephemer was in the Castle of Dreams.

' _And once Skuld and I help Ephemer, this world will go back to the Realm of Light, too,'_ she thought, wondering why the Dwarf Woodlands hadn't returned until Skuld was no longer surrounded by darkness. For that matter, why didn't it return until her and Skuld had left the world completely?

' _I'll ask Yen Sid when we get back to the Realm of Light,'_ she decided, smiling to herself. She couldn't wait to introduce Ephemer and Skuld to her new friends. Maybe they'd see what she was seeing: for whatever reason, she was seeing a couple of the Foretellers when she looked at her new friends.

Back when she and the others had tried to leave the Realm of Darkness before, she had seen Master Ira once when she had looked at Riku. Before they had gone to Castle Oblivion, she had seen Master Invi instead of Master Aqua. She wondered if she'd see the other Foretellers at some point, hoping Ephemer and Skuld would see it when she did, too.

Skuld's sudden gasp made her jump. She looked at her friend before exclaiming, "Geez, are you okay? You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Skuld didn't look at Nightly at first, trying to orient herself. She finally registered her voice and her wild eyes landed on Nightly.

"Wha—Nightly?" she asked.

"Hi," Nightly replied, giving her a small wave.

Skuld looked around again, pushing herself up shakily. "Where…where are we?"

Nightly gave her a sympathetic look, standing up with her. "Castle of Dreams," she said simply.

"What?" Skuld asked. "I was in Dwarf Woodlands, how did I get here?"

Nightly hesitated. "Do you…remember what happened a couple minutes ago?"

Skuld paused, her eyes lost in thought. It hit her, and she immediately faced Nightly. "Oh, my goodness, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Nightly replied with a chuckle. "Besides, it wasn't exactly your fault," she added, rubbing her shoulder, still sore from being thrown out the window.

Skuld smiled sheepishly before asking, "Why…was I like that, anyway?"

"Uhh…well, I was in the same boat a little while ago," Nightly admitted, wringing her fingers.

Skuld raised an eyebrow. "Meaning…?" she egged on.

"We're in the Realm of Darkness, and we were both corrupted by the darkness when the world we were in fell to it," Nightly explained in a single breath.

A moment passed, and Skuld's face phased through different expressions of shock, concern, and fear as she slowly took in her surroundings. The frozen water of the fountain, the pieces of the town's houses forever suspended in time, the never-ending night sky. "What…? How did…?"

"I'm not entirely sure, either," Nightly offered. "The only reason I'm fine now is because a Keyblade Master named Aqua helped me out. We didn't run into you or Ephemer on the way out, and then I had a dream you two were stuck here, so here I am."

Skuld gave Nightly a strange look. After knowing Nightly for so long, it was strange to hear her talk so much. Usually she just said a sentence, then nodded whenever others spoke to her.

' _Maybe it's because she has so much to explain,'_ Skuld figured. Still… "Are you okay?" Skuld questioned, a suspicious expression on her face.

"Umm…yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Nightly asked, shaking her head a little.

Skuld crooked a finger to her chin. "You're talking."

Nightly glanced to the side, looking back at Skuld. "And…?"

"You never talk," Skuld answered immediately. "What happened? Usually, you just point and gesture and nod. The only times I've heard you talk was when we were talking about the Dandelions and when you stood up to Master Aced."

Nightly paused before she shrugged. "I guess I'm just feeling more open than usual," she answered.

Skuld kept her gaze trained on Nightly before she, too, shrugged, lightly shaking her head. "Alrighty, then." She offered Nightly a smile. "Honestly, it's nice hearing you speak more."

"Without us arguing," Nightly added sheepishly.

A strained silence fell between the two girls. A moment passed before Skuld finally began, "Nightly, I—"

"Don't," Nightly interrupted. "I…I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up. I'm just glad you're safe." She hesitated a moment. "We…should get to Ephemer. I saw him in Castle of Dreams, but I don't know exactly where he is here."

Skuld smiled patiently, "Well, we should probably split up and look around. We can probably find him quicker like that."

"Actually, we shouldn't do that," Nightly objected. She showed Skuld the bangle Chirithy had enchanted. "Chirithy gave me this bangle, and it's been keeping the majority of the darkness in this place away from me. It only allows the darkness like you and I were caught within to come near me, so I'd be able to find you."

"Huh," Skuld mused, taking a closer look at the bangle. "So, it'd just be safer if we stuck together, huh?" she asked, looking back up at Nightly, who nodded back.

Skuld gave a light, playful scoff. "Did you stop talking because I said something about it?"

Nightly looked surprised for a moment before she grinned, shaking her head.

Skuld groaned, giving a small smile. "Alright, let's go," she said with a laugh.

* * *

Aqua looked up to the night sky outside of Yen Sid's Tower. Her fist clutched her Wayfinder to her chest as she stared listlessly up at the stars.

A crunch of grass behind her made her turn. A brunette teenager backed up a bit, wanting to come closer, but knowing she needing space.

Aqua smiled softly at Sora, patting the ground next to her. Sora returned the smile, sitting down beside Aqua and looking up at the stars above them. The two sat in silence, simply enjoying the company of the other.

"You know," Sora spoke up, "I owe Ventus a lot."

"Hm?" Aqua inquired, turning to look at the young boy beside her.

"Because of him, I'm able to wield the Keyblade. Without him, the journeys I've been on would never have happened, and I wouldn't trade them for the world."

Aqua regarded Sora for a moment before a smile graced her features. _'He's still so much like Ventus,'_ she thought to herself.

"And I owe you for keeping my friend safe all these years," Aqua replied.

"Ehh, don't mention it," Sora shrugged. "I don't like keeping score between friends."

Aqua couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright, if you insist."

Sora gave Aqua one of his signature grins, and Aqua's heart melted a little at the similarity.

"The only thing is," Sora began again, "is figuring out how to get his heart back to his body."

"Hmm," Aqua mused, looking up to the sky in thought. "That will be a tough one. I'm not sure how we'll be able to do it, but I'm sure there is a way."

The two sat in silence as they thought. Neither of them noticed the three small blinks in the sky as three sets of Gummi Armor descended to the Mysterious Tower.

* * *

"We've checked everywhere in town, Nightly," Skuld said.

Nightly nodded in agreement, crooking a finger to her chin, a fist on her hip. Skuld watched as she closed her eyes in thought, her eyebrows furrowing in concentration.

' _This world isn't very big, even in the Realm of Darkness,'_ Nightly figured. _'And it's pretty straight forward, too.'_

Her eyes opened suddenly as she hit a realization. _'Which means the only place we haven't checked…'_ Her gaze panned to the Castle of Dreams, _'is…'_

"Nightly?" Skuld asked, seeing her friend's expression. She followed her gaze, coming to the same revelation. "…Oh…"

"Mm-hm," Nightly replied, nodding curtly.

Skuld sighed. "Okay, then. Let's go get him," she said confidently, hopping down form the piece of debris they were currently standing on. Nightly gazed at the Castle a moment more before following suit.

* * *

The two girls stepped up the last stair, approaching the door to the Castle. Skuld grabbed the handle and tugged on the door. Nothing.

"Huh?" Skuld pulled harder. Again, nothing. She grasped it with both hands and tugged as hard as she could. Not even a budge.

"Nightly, help me," she said. Nightly nodded, holding Skuld tightly around the waist. Nightly pulled Skuld while Skuld held tightly to the door, tugging with all her might.

Her fingers couldn't hold it anymore. They suddenly let go, her grip strength gone, and she and Nightly pitched backward, barely managing to keep from tumbling down the stairs.

"What?" Skuld asked herself, giving the door a death glare.

Nightly sat up, rubbing the back of her head. She peered up at the door, and almost facepalmed at not realizing it sooner. "Oh."

"Hm?" Skuld looked up at Nightly as she hopped back up again and summoned her Starlight.

Nightly aimed Starlight at the door, and the tip lit up before shooting a stream of light at the door. She smiled at the sound of a heavy lock turning over, before the light disappeared. She sent Starlight away, going up to the door once again. She took the handle and opened the door with hardly any effort.

She turned to Skuld with a smile, gesturing in a 'ladies first' motion.

Skuld smirked up at Nightly. "Ha-ha," she said in an aloof tone. She pushed herself up off the ground before walking briskly into the Castle, Nightly walking in right behind her.

The door shut behind them, and the entrance hall of the Castle was barely visible. Skuld's eyes adjusted first, and she gave a cry of surprise.

"Ephemer!" she cried, bolting forward.

"Skuld, wait!" Nightly called after her, trying to grab her arm. She missed, and a split second later, she saw the figure Skuld was running to.

It was definitely Ephemer, alright. His silver hair could be seen easily within the blackness. But just like Skuld, he was surrounded by wisps of darkness barely visible within the rest of the dark. His head was bowed, but Nightly knew it wouldn't stay that way forever.

' _No!'_ she screamed within her head. She bolted forward just as Ephemer began to move. She knew what he was about to do before he even pulled his hand back.

In a flash of jarring brightness, Ephemer's Starlight was in his hand. Skuld suddenly stopped, just a foot away from her best friend as she watched the Keyblade begin to come down on her.

She felt a hand on her arm, and she was jerked back as Nightly threw herself in front of Skuld. Ephemer's Keyblade struck down on Nightly's back, sending the two girls pitching back towards the exit.

They hit the ground hard, Skuld smacking her head on the floor. She shook the stars from her vision, sitting back up to stare at Ephemer. It took her a moment to notice Nightly's unconscious form on her lap.

"Nightly," Skuld said, shaking the unconscious girl. She didn't respond. Skuld shook her, feeling desperation creep into her heart as she saw Ephemer stepping closer. She looked into his blank, dead, turquoise eyes, their usual beautiful luster tainted by the darkness surrounding him.

She looked back down at Nightly, pulling her off her lap and placing her head gently down on the ground. Skuld summoned her Starlight, running a few paces in front of Nightly, squaring up against Ephemer.

"Ephemer," she said, fear beginning to coat her voice, "I know you're still in there. Ephemer, please…answer me!"

Ephemer didn't say a word. He continued to step forward, the darkness seeming to control his movements. Skuld felt her fear grow within her. Seeing Ephemer like this just…shook her to her core.

She scowled through the tears threatening to spill over. She took a weak swing towards him, and he blocked it easily, shoving her back. She tripped over her heel, landing painfully on her side.

She cried out in pain, her grip slipping on her Keyblade as it clattered to the ground. She gave a desperate look to Ephemer, her eyes silently pleading with him. For a split second, she could've sworn she saw a phase of recognition pass through his eyes. His steps faltered, just for a moment, before the blank look set into his eyes once again, and he began his slow trek once again.

Skuld heard a groan behind her. She looked, seeing Nightly struggling to pick herself back up. She collapsed back down, but turned her head up to see Ephemer advancing toward her, and Skuld giving her a look she never thought she'd see on her.

"Your…connection," Nightly strained, trying once again to push herself off the floor.

"W-what?" Skuld stammered.

"Your connection," Nightly said again. "You two have a special connection. Use it."

Skuld stared at Nightly for a moment in confusion, then understood. She turned back to Ephemer, pushing herself back up again. She looked down at her Keyblade, clenching it before sending it away. She steeled her gaze, walking briskly toward Ephemer.

She stopped directly in front of him, gazing at his eyes again. _'I know you're still in there,'_ she thought. She felt a tear fall down her face before she threw her arms around Ephemer's neck.

Nightly had managed to push herself up onto her knees, and she looked up at Skuld embracing Ephemer. _'Not exactly what I had in mind, but…'_

Her thoughts were cut off when a light flashed from between the two of them. The light grew, and Nightly threw her arms up to shield her face from the light. It crescendoed, finally dying down as quickly as it had flared up. She peeked over her arms, seeing Skuld still holding Ephemer tightly. Only this time, he was returning the embrace.

They stood like that for a moment, before Nightly broke the silence. "You dorks," she said unapologetically.

The two suddenly broke away, Ephemer's eyes landing on Nightly. "Nightly?" he asked, unsure of what had just happened.

Nightly grinned back, trying to get on her feet. The attempt failed, and Skuld and Ephemer came to her side to try and help her up.

"Sorry about that, Nightly," Ephemer said, remembering what had happened while he was trapped.

"It's fine," Nightly brushed off. "You're not the only one who's dealt me some damage today."

"Huh?" Ephemer looked to Skuld for an answer. She looked away, not wanting to look at him. That was all the answer he needed. "We…we were both like this?"

"Don't worry, I was, too," Nightly assured him. "A new friend of mine helped me out, then we left and I came back because I saw you two in a dream and came looking for you."

"You…left?" Ephemer questioned. "Where are we?"

Nightly hesitated, and Skuld answered for her. "We're in the Realm of Darkness."

"What? How did we get _here_?"

"It was because of our fight," Nightly explained. "When I ran away, and you two came after me, you both picked the wrong world. The three of us were each in a different world, but all three fell to darkness around the same time. We were affected by the darkness when it fell…probably because we they aren't our worlds…or something." She stopped for a moment before adding. "Yen Sid probably knows more."

"Uh…Yen Sid?" Skuld asked.

Nightly sighed, finally feeling strong enough to stand. She stood up slowly, her legs shaking slightly. Ephemer and Skuld regarded her closely, ready to support her should she fall.

She straightened, her legs feeling steadier. She addressed her two best friends. "It's a long story, probably best if you just met everyone."

Ephemer and Skuld exchanged a glance, knowing smiles passing between them. "Alright," Ephemer replied. "Lead the way, Nightly."

* * *

Sora heard it first. The familiar sound of Gummi engines faintly reached his ears. He looked up to the sky, seeing the familiar shape of blue Gummi Armor, flanked by two other sets of Gummi Armor, one red, one black.

"She's back!" he shouted in excitement.

Aqua snapped out of her daze, looking up into the sky, beginning to hear the engines of the Gummi Armor just as she saw what Sora had. She breathed a sigh of relief, standing up and watching Nightly and her friends descend to the Mysterious Tower. She heard footsteps leaving her, and looked to see Sora running toward the Tower, more than likely going to get the others so they could meet Nightly's friends.

She turned back, waiting for them to reach the ground. She took a couple steps back as they got closer, hearing Sora coming back over. Glancing over her shoulder, she watched as Chirithy, Lea, Kairi, Riku, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy followed close behind Sora.

A couple moments later, and Nightly and the other two had reach the ground of the Mysterious Tower. The blue Gummi Armor immediately lit up, dying away to reveal Nightly's grinning façade.

"Hey, kiddo!" Chirithy greeted, hopping into her arms. Nightly hugged Chirithy tightly as the other two Gummi Armors touched down. The red Armor erupted in a shower of sparks and revealed a boy with curly silver hair and turquoise eyes. A red and black patterned scarf was tied loosely at his neck, resting on his chest over a button-up white shirt and short black jacket. He wore black gloves, loose, dark brown cargo pants and black boots, a tan satchel tied around his waist and resting on his hip.

The black Gummi Armor followed suit, and revealed a girl with long black hair and brown eyes. She sported a short-sleeved, black jacket, and silver zipped-up shirt, and black fingerless gloves. Her black miniskirt rustled in the breeze, two studded belts resting on her waist; and she wore black, knee-high socks that fit into black boots.

Nightly smiled at her new friends. "Okay, everyone, this is Ephemer," she gestured to the boy behind her, who nodded curtly, scanning their faces with something along the lines of concern and confusion.

"And this is Skuld," she gestured to the girl, who shared a similar expression to Ephemer, but seemed to be hiding it a bit better than he.

"Ephemer, Skuld," Nightly continued, completely oblivious to her friends' expressions. She went along the line, saying each persons' name as she went. "This is Aqua, Sora, Riku, Kairi, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and—"

"Lea," Lea interrupted. He put a finger to his temple. "Got it memorized?"

The expression made Nightly giggled, and Ephemer and Skuld seemed to relax a little at the antics.

"C'mon," Nightly started up again. "Let's introduce you to Master Yen Sid." She began walking quickly toward the tower, the group following close behind, and Ephemer and Skuld lagging behind. No one saw as Skuld pulled a medal from her inventory, showing it to Ephemer as the two looked up and down from the medal to Aqua, and back again.

Skuld put her medal back in the inventory, and this time Ephemer pulled two medals from the inventory. The two of them looked at one medal, then to Sora, then the other, then to Riku. Ephemer put them back into his inventory and leaned next to Skuld's ear.

"We may have a problem," he said quietly.

* * *

 **And…done!**

 **This chapter ended up a bit longer than I meant it to be. Not that I'm complaining, I like writing these longer chapters, because I know it gives you guys more content.**

 **Okay, real talk. I played Kingdom Hearts 3, and watched the update on Union Cross. I can officially say this story will not be going in the same direction as either game.**

 **One of the original premises of this story was to stick as close to cannon as possible, combining my own theories and ideas for how the game would end up going. That being said, I knew that would stop being a reality when Kingdom Hearts 3 came out. However, a couple things in the game that I had already intended on writing actually ended up happening in the game. When those things happen, I will let you know. I just wanted to go ahead and get it on record that I thought of a couple things BEFORE I played Kingdom Hearts 3.**

 **Needless to say, I'm still reeling. No spoilers for those of you who haven't played yet, but I will say…there were tears. If you guys want to toss theories back and forth with me or just talk about the game, feel free to PM me from my profile page.**

 **So, a couple things I want to say about the next chapter. If you are not very familiar with Union X [cross], I suggest you educate yourself between now and the time it takes for the next chapter to come out. More specifically, you need to know everything about the new Union leaders you can. If you do not know about them, the next chapter will include one of the biggest spoilers in Kingdom Hearts history (not clickbait).**

 **Well, that being said, I'll see you guys in the next one!**


	13. Chapter 13- Truth and Lies

**SPOILER WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS A HUGE SPOILER FOR UNION CROSS. LIKE, GAME-CHANGING, MIND-TWISTING, IT'S SO BIG.**

 **Not even joking. If you're a new member of the fandom, and/or know next to nothing about Kingdom Hearts Union Cross, I would suggest going to Everglow's channel and at least watching the videos on Quests involving lore. More specifically, those involving the next leaders.**

 **Done that, good? Okay! The next chapter!**

* * *

Nightly and the group of companions led there two new arrivals up to the top of Yen Sid's tower. The two in question managed to hide the concern on their faces, but couldn't keep their eyes away from Nightly, as if they expected something to happen at any minute, only for nothing to occur.

They watched as she chatted with members of the group. The woman with blue hair—Aqua—was currently chastising her about leaving on her own, to which Nightly was apologizing sheepishly for with a shy rub of her neck. She seemed to be getting along fine with them, not even noticing what her two friends had. They glanced at each other, a silent signal passing between them. Something was definitely wrong.

Their thoughts were interrupted by the opening of the door at the top of the staircase. The friends piled into the room, and Nightly ushered Ephemer and Skuld inside. The sight they were met with made them give pause.

An elderly man sat at the desk before the large group of wielders. His stature held an air of authority that made the room silent with his presence. His face bore a countenance of seriousness unlike the two had seen before, while years of experience hardened the heavy stare that seemed to pass through all who entered.

"Heya, kiddo!" Chirithy called, delighted to see the brunette back safely. He jumped into his wielder's arms, drawing the attention of Ephemer and Skuld.

"Chirithy?" the latter inquired.

The Spirit hesitated for a moment before addressing the two new wielders in the room. "It's good to see you both again." The unspoken tension between the three was almost palpable, to all but Nightly, of course.

The oblivious brunette unknowingly broke the ice by remembering about another new friend who had yet to be introduced.

"Oh, yeah!" Nightly remembered, moving so she could see the sleeping blonde on the other side of the room. "I want you guys to meet someone else." She motioned for Ephemer and Skuld to come over. The duo complied, Skuld rounding the corner first. Upon seeing Ventus, she froze, Ephemer bumping into her. Ephemer gave her a look of confusion as she pointed a finger at Ven.

Ephemer followed her gaze, visibly paling as his eyes landed on Ventus.

"This is Ventus," Nightly said. "He's Aqua's friend. We had to get him out of a place called Castle Oblivion because he's been in a coma for ten years."

"T-ten years?" Skuld gaped.

"Yeah, but don't worry, we'll wake him up soon," Nightly said confidently, turning to her friends. Her brow furrowed in concern when she saw Ephemer's face. "Ephemer, are you okay?" she asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine," he replied nonchalantly, rubbing the back of his head. "It's just…a lot to take in right now."

Nightly chuckled. "Tell me about it." She yawned, "Well, I thinking I'm gonna go to sleep. What about you two?"

"Uh, I think we're gonna stay up for a little while and catch up on everything that's happened," Ephemer answered, trying subtly pull Skuld's gaze away from Ven, as the poor girl seemed to have gone catatonic.

"Okay, you guys do that. I'm gonna…go on ahead," Nightly drawled, suddenly looking like she could have laid down and fallen asleep right then and there.

Noticing the change in his friend, Ephemer glanced down at Chirithy, who narrowed his eyes at the silverette. _'You made me do this,'_ Chirithy thought. Ephemer's eyes widened as he watched Nightly leave the room.

As soon as the door to Nightly's room down the hall closed, Skuld broke from Ephemer's grasp and ran to Ven. On her knees, she grabbed Ven's shoulders and lightly shook him. "Ven? Ven, wake up. Wake up, Ventus!"

"Skuld, I don't think that's gonna help," Ephemer said, surprised at his own calmness.

"Ephemer, why aren't you helping me?!" Skuld half-shouted, panic obvious in her expression as she looked back to Ephemer.

Ephemer hesitated. He had never seen Skuld like this. "We have to stay calm, Skuld," he said slowly.

"Calm?!" Skuld jumped back up, stepping toward Ephemer and throwing her arms out to either side of her. "Look where we _are_ , Ephemer. We are lucky Nightly is not in a coma right now!" she added, pointing a finger down the hall after Nightly.

"Yeah, about that," Lea butted in, drawing Ephemer's and Skuld's attention to the others in the room. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were looking back and forth between the two. Riku was on the defensive, as well as Lea, while Kairi and Mickey were looking at them with a mix of confusion and concern. Aqua looked at them as if the two had simultaneously grown a third arm. Yen Sid, however, looked stoic as ever.

Lea continued, "How long were you expecting to be able to just…knock her out whenever mention of the Keyblade War came up?"

"It's not just the Keyblade War," Chirithy corrected, hopping back into the room. "You guys may not have noticed, but every time someone says something about the future, or Nightly begins to think about the future, she begins to feel disoriented. So far, she just shakes it off and thoughts of the future just leave her. But…I don't know how long that will last."

Lea looked back to the two teens and made a hard gesture to Chirithy in an "as I said" manner.

Ephemer threw a look to Chirithy. "So, you told them?"

"Had no choice," Chirithy replied, "especially when Nightly asked about going back to Daybreak Town as soon as we get here—which, by the way, no one has seen since the Keyblade War."

That statement made the two new arrivals halt. "What do you mean?" Skuld inquired.

Yen Sid repeated what he had before. "No one has seen hide nor hair of Daybreak Town since the Keyblade War," he said.

"It's kinda considered a legend now," Mickey added. "The four of you showing up is the only tangible evidence we have that it ever existed in the first place."

Skuld opened her mouth to say something, closed it again with a confused look, then opened it again. "But…that doesn't make any sense. We've been living in Daybreak Town ever since the War ended. How has no one…"

"How long has it been since the Keyblade War—to you guys, that is," Riku questioned.

Skuld shared a glance with Ephemer before the latter replied, "A few months, I think. Haven't really been keeping track since—" Skuld cut him off by loudly clearing her throat. She fanned her fingers to her neck, giving him the universal sign to shut up. Ephemer looked at her a little wide-eyed. "How long has it been for you guys?" he continued awkwardly.

"A hundred years," Mickey said, to which Ephemer's and Skuld's jaws dropped.

"What were you going to say?" Lea inquired before the two could recover, his eyes narrowing.

A silent signal seemed to pass between the two teens. "It's not important," he shrugged.

"Then let me ask you something that is," Aqua piped up, stepping forward, a slightly angry expression on her face. "How do you know Ven?" she said, pointing at the sleeping boy.

"How do _you_ know Ven?" Ephemer and Skuld asked at the same time, worry showing in their eyes.

"I knew Ven for four years while we trained together under Master Eraqus. He never mentioned either of you."

The second sentence hit the two like a slap in the face. Ephemer's eyes searched for a memory while Skuld tried to cope with the news. "He…he never…he didn't say anything about us or Daybreak Town or—" she cut herself off, covering her mouth.

"His heart didn't survive the journey," Ephemer said quietly.

"What?" Aqua asked sternly, looking like she was ready to attack.

Ephemer ran a hand through his hair. "It's just like Master Ava said, his heart didn't survive the journey, his heart wasn't strong enough," he continued, his words beginning to blur together.

"Ephemer, what are you talking about?" Skuld asked, stepping toward her friend.

Ephemer hung his head. "I never told you, Skuld. Master Ava told me something about moving on from the War. She said some may not have hearts strong enough to move on. If the same thing applies here…Ven's heart wasn't strong enough to face the sudden future. Has he been like this the whole time?" He looked up to Aqua for help.

Aqua saw the concern etched across Ephemer's face, and suddenly felt her own face soften. She couldn't help but feel pity for the two. They'd ended up trapped in the Realm of Darkness after a fight with one friend, only to find themselves a hundred years in the future just to find out another friend has been in this condition for a long time.

Aqua let out an ironic laugh. "No, he hasn't. There was…a big fight he, myself, and our friend, Terra, had at the Keyblade Graveyard. He ended up fighting someone, and they were equally matched, so his heart was injured in the process. It left his body, which left him in this long sleep. We just recently found his heart, but now we have to try and return it to his body so he can wake up."

Ephemer and Skuld visibly relaxed after the explanation, though they still seemed a little uptight at the situation as a whole.

"So, where is his heart?" Skuld asked.

"With me," Sora said, speaking up for the first time. "I don't really remember it, but when I was really little, I let him into my heart so his could rest. He's been here the whole time." He put his hand over his heart at the last sentence.

A peaceful silence floated through the room as some of the earlier tension cooled off. Aqua spoke up, asking, "So, how do the two of you know Ven?"

The two in question exchanged a glance. "Don't tell you can't tell us, now," Lea said, trying to bring a joking air to the conversation.

"No, it's not that," Ephemer said.

"It's just…what we're about to tell you…we were told to keep secret," Skuld added. "Not even Nightly knows. But…"

"But you guys knowing will only help the situation," Ephemer finished.

The group stayed silent, letting them gather their thoughts, before Ephemer asked, "Okay, so have you guys heard about a group called the Dandelions?"

"Yes," Aqua answered, "Nightly filled us in on the details."

"Okay," Ephemer nodded, clearing his throat. "So, five Dandelions were chosen by Master Ava, who led the Dandelions."

Skuld picked up, "These Dandelions were to meet on the battlefield after the War had closed, and would become the next Union leaders in the absence of the Foretellers. Ephemer and I are two of them."

Aqua felt her stomach drop, already connecting the dots before Ephemer could say it.

"Ven was the third one of us to show up."

The revelation made the entire room go silent; not even a breath could be heard. The words hung in the air, everyone unable to comprehend what was being said.

Finally, Mickey spoke up, "So, you're telling us Ventus used to live in Daybreak Town, and was one of the Dandelions?"

"Yes," Skuld answered firmly. "He was one alongside Ephemer and myself, as well as two others named Brain and Lauriam." She asked Aqua again, "Are you sure he never told you anything?"

Aqua nodded, "Positive. When he first came to the Land of Departure he was a complete blank…slate…" she trailed, the gravity of what that meant striking her with its suddenness. "It was like, the first years of his life weren't even there." Another realization struck. "We aren't even sure how old he is, really."

Ephemer tilted his head. "You said you knew him for four years before he fell asleep?" At Aqua's nod, he replied, "Sixteen. He's sixteen now." Skuld put her hand to her forehead at the news. "He was twelve when we knew him, and twelve when given the task to become a Union leader."

"What about the two of you?" Kairi asked. "How old are you?"

"I'm fourteen," Ephemer answered.

"Fourteen," Skuld replied with a curt wave of her hand.

"And Nightly?" Riku questioned.

The two looked at each other again before looking back to the group. Ephemer suddenly seemed timid as he replied, "She thinks she's twelve, but she's actually thirteen." At their dumbfounded expressions, he added, "The memory wipe…we basically started her whole journey over in her mind to try and convince her to join the Dandelions again."

"Why, though?" Aqua asked. "Why not just tell her the truth?"

"Because if we can convince her to join this time, then we can just move on like the War never happened. But if she keeps refusing, there will always be a reason to look back at it, and we decided it would be best to just move forward without telling everyone the truth about the War."

"Why did you think that would be a good idea?" Kairi inquired.

"Well, we figured there would be no history to repeat if there was none to look back to," Skuld summarized.

Ephemer gave a chuckle before saying, "I'd be lying if I said Nightly wasn't part of the decision, though." He clarified, "If we looked back, then she'd just have to relive everything whenever we looked back."

"We just didn't want to risk anything happening to her," Skuld said. "And it was working for everyone else, too. By just having everyone move on, life was going back to normal. For everyone, including ourselves."

"And all five of you thought that was the best option?" Lea asked.

The two nodded at the redhead. "Well, then, I guess we better get you all home," he said.

"But," Aqua piped up, "you really should talk to Nightly; maybe even let her remember. It's not right to just let her think none of this happened. And, it'd be best to try and talk without having another argument." She ended with a small smile, which elicited small smiles from the two across the room.

"Okay, we'll try and talk, but…I honestly don't know how far we'll get. She'll probably just assume we're trying to bring up the argument with a different tactic," Ephemer resolved.

"But, I think we should get some sleep, first," Skuld said, and was relieved when she heard chuckles of agreement.

The mood considerably lighter than it was when the two joined the party, the group of friends went to their respective rooms to get some rest before the next day's training.

* * *

Sora stretched and yawned as he entered Yen Sid's study. No one else was up yet, that he could tell, but he was getting antsy and couldn't sleep, for once in his life.

He paused when he saw Aqua standing at the opposite end of the room, arms crossed as she stared out the window with her brow furrowed.

"What's going on, Aqua?" Sora asked as he approached the Master.

Aqua replied, "Nightly got up early."

Sora blinked at the answer. "Is she training?" he asked, coming to the window. His face fell at what he saw.

"Oh," he said defeatedly. "Guess our talk didn't work, huh?"

"Doesn't look like it," Aqua agreed.

The two looked down to see Nightly, Ephemer, and Skuld talking in an open area of land at the base of the tower. From the motions the three were making, to the fed-up expression on Nightly's face, one could only conclude the three were having a heated argument.

Sora's breath hissed between his teeth. "Yikes," he sighed. The two kept their eyes on the trio below, quietly dreading what may happen next.

* * *

Ephemer couldn't believe this. They had tried to talk to Nightly, and he and Skuld were desperately searching for how to bring up everything he and Skuld had talked about with the others last night, but soon enough, Nightly snapped. Couldn't say he didn't blame her, though. _'We've just been reunited, and we're already trying to bring up scars she doesn't even know about,_ ' he thought to himself wearily.

Now, they were back to their original argument, with no end in sight. He sighed to himself in defeat as Nightly's voice came to the forefront of his thoughts.

"No, okay?" Nightly repeated. "I've told you before, I've said it again, and I always will say no. I can't just…up and leave everyone behind."

"But what's the point of even trying if it only gets you hurt, or worse?" Skuld inquired.

"It's just not who I am," Nightly persisted. "I'm not like the two of you. I can't just ignore the fact that my friends, my party, will end up fighting in a war that could be avoided."

"And what exactly is your plan?" Ephemer asked.

Nightly pointed to the side at nothing in particular. "I'm going to get on that battlefield with my Union and convince the Foretellers to call off the fighting."

"Are you even hearing yourself?" Skuld pressed. "Who's to say they'll even want to talk? What if they just want to fight you?"

"It's better than running away from the problem," Nightly answered, feeling an annoyingly persistent dizziness rise in her head again. She shook her head, holding it as the thought of fighting the Foretellers sent a surge of déjà-vu through her head. The feeling washed away with the dizziness, but she couldn't shake the unease that was left behind.

"The Dandelions won't run away from the problem," Ephemer defended. "We'll face it after the War has blown over, to rebuild the World and start again."

"There won't be a need to 'start again' if we can just end it now," Nightly said, anger beginning to lace between her words.

Chirithy cringed at what she said. Nightly always had strong feelings about the Keyblade War, and she hadn't changed one bit. It…hurt to see her like this, arguing over something she didn't even know had already come to pass.

He thought back to what Master Aqua had said. 'No matter what her friends think is best for her, keeping that secret from her is only going to push her away from them. She needs to know what happened…it will only make her stronger.'

Chirithy looked up at Nightly as those words hit home. Something against his nature rose up within him, and he couldn't stop himself from thinking, _'This. Ends. Now.'_

"I just don't understand why you want me to join the Dandelions so badly," Nightly half-shouted. "What is so important about the War that you want me to just drop everything and just ignore it?"

"Because it already happened!" Chirithy shouted.

A stunned silence fell between the children. Ephemer and Skuld visibly paled as Nightly's face blanked. Slowly, all three of there gazes panned to Chirithy.

"What?" Nightly asked in a monotone voice.

Chirithy looked his wielder in the eye and said slowly, "The Keyblade War already happened, kiddo."

Ephemer and Skuld looked to Nightly helplessly, unsure of what to say. They watched as something sparked beneath her dead stare.

As if a light had just turned on within her mind, Nightly gasped, grabbing her head. She stumbled backward, tripping over her own feet as she hit the ground, crying out in pain.

"Nightly…" Ephemer said slowly, trying to reach for her. She scrambled to get away, only managing to get on her knees, her eyes darting back and forth as her sight was filled with forgotten memories.

Ephemer and Skuld tried to approach their friend, reaching out to help her, comfort her, anything. Her eyes focused enough to see their hands, and she slapped them away.

"Get away from me!" she screamed, shoving herself onto her feet. She hugged herself, eyes wild and tears streaming down her face as she tried desperately to keep herself from hyperventilating.

Her hands went to her head again, and Ephemer paused as he saw her eyes flicker from brown, to blue, and back again before Nightly suddenly turned. A Corridor of Light appeared in front of her, and she ran through without hesitation.

"Nightly!" Skuld called as she and Ephemer tried to reach the Corridor. They were unsuccessful, however, as it closed immediately behind her.

The two stood there in shocked silence for a moment before they registered two sets of footsteps heading in their direction.

"What happened?" asked a concerned Sora, Aqua following close behind him.

Ephemer and Skuld exchanged a glance before they looked to the two with defeated expressions.

"Nightly's remembering the Keyblade War," Ephemer replied weakly.

* * *

Nightly felt her feet hit coarse earth. She stumbled away from the Corridor, falling to her knees as it closed behind her. Her arms wrapped around her in a tight embrace, she felt sick to her stomach and tried to make herself as small as possible as she sobbed.

It took a moment for her to think about where she was. She wasn't thinking clearly when she summoned the Corridor. All she knew…was that she wanted to see it. She needed to see it.

She cracked open her burning eyes, seeing the familiar ground beneath her. She looked up, seeing the expanse of the Wasteland spread out before her.

Shakily, she brought herself to standing. Planting her feet in the thirsty ground, she trudged forward, the first steps sending the sound of clunking metal armor through her head.

She halted, grabbing her head in pain, her mind's eye presenting her with the image of a darkened sky, lightning cracking through the clouds as steady rains poured on the growing crowd of colorless, empty Keyblades.

The next step, and her ears rang from a new blade embedding itself into the dust, signifying its wielder's end.

She couldn't hold back the new tears that came as she took off in a sprint, each step sending a stab of pain through her heart and the sound of clashing metal through her head. Her gaze reached for the sky, and she swore she could still see hearts floating away into oblivion as she watched helplessly from the ground.

She entered an underpass, and knew she was right there. She made herself stop, almost not registering how out-of-breath she was. She fell to her knees, collapsing against a rocky wall as she gulped dry air, gagging from the exertion she had just put herself through.

Moments passed, and she at last had her breath back again. She stayed a moment longer before finally pushing herself back up. She faced the opening, the sun blinding her temporarily as she stepped out of the underpass.

Her eyes adjusted quickly, and a cry of despair escaped her lips as her eyes fell upon a sight she thought she'd never forget.

Keyblades stuck out of the rough soil like slanted soldiers, lifeless and unusable as they marked the final ground upon which their respective wielder fought. They all stood erect in their own quadrant, just as the children had the moment before the battle took place.

Nightly reached the center of the graveyard, looked down at the very spot where she lay nearly unconscious, dying, not so long ago.

She knelt at the spot, feeling a surge of emotions rise within her. She trembled under its pressure, sobbing loudly as she threw back her head.

The winds of the Keyblade Graveyard were split by the scream that flew from Nightly's being. Her emotions spent, she doubled over, numbly hugging herself as she wept, her tears hitting the dry dirt before evaporating into the sun-blanched sky.

* * *

"And then she just went into her Corridor, and we don't know where she could've gone," Ephemer finished.

"What happened to talking it out?" Kairi asked. The others had woken up by the time the four had made it back into the tower and Ephemer and Skuld were now trying to explain what had happened.

"We tried," Skuld picked up, "but she started up when she realized we were talking about the Dandelions. We weren't even bringing up joining them, we were explaining what our job as Dandelions really is."

"And that would be?" Riku questioned.

Ephemer explained, "The task Master Ava gave us was to lead the new World in the wake of the Keyblade War. Our task was rebuilding everything after the fact."

"Okay," Aqua said. "Either way, we need to find her. Any idea of where she might have gone?" she asked, looking to Chirithy.

The Spirit answered, "I actually don't know where she is. Her mind was too confused and jumbled for me to tell what she was thinking when she summoned the Corridor."

"And since she summoned a Corridor, it makes finding her a whole lot harder," Skuld added.

"Mm," Chirithy agreed. "The Corridors of Light were used in Daybreak Town to get to other worlds that _I_ already knew how to get to—from Daybreak Town, that is. She's never summoned a Corridor to go somewhere I didn't know how to get to, until now."

"So, you have no idea where she might've gone," Sora concluded. The silence of the room confirmed what everyone had already figured out.

"Alright, we should split up," Riku spoke up. "We'll start with the closer worlds." He looked to the closest trio. "Sora, Donald, Goofy?"

"Already on it," Sora said with a smile and flex of his arm before the three ran out the door. Everyone else watched them go.

Riku paused, looking at the door they left out of. "They didn't even let me tell them where to look," he said, a deeply annoyed expression on his face. He shook his head, looking to Ephemer and Skuld. "I think you two should team up with Lea. I'll go with Kairi, Aqua, and Mickey. Chirithy should stay here in case she comes back."

The two gave him a nod. "Alrighty, then, lets go," Lea said, flashing the remaining group a smile before ushering the teenagers out the door.

Riku stepped up to Kairi and Aqua and asked, "Anywhere you two think we should look first?"

"Actually," Aqua said, "I have a feeling I might know where she is." She had yet to tell anyone, but she had been feeling a tug on her heart ever since she learned why Nightly left. It just…made sense.

"I think we should go to the Keyblade Graveyard."

* * *

Nightly felt the presence; and knew he was there before she even looked.

"Hey, Chirithy," she said half-heartedly.

"Hey, kiddo," replied the tainted voice of the Nightmare Chirithy.

Nightly picked up her gaze to stare at him. "so, that's what you were trying to show me," she stated, her voice hoarse from crying.

"Yes," Nightmare Chirithy nodded, an undertone of sadness in his voice.

They held each other's eyes for a moment before Nightly broke the silence. "You have another task." The tone in her voice left no room for a question.

"Yes," Chirithy nodded again. Nightly waited for him to continue.

"These memories, when extracted from your mind and heart, needed a place to go so they wouldn't resurface immediately. That's where I come in. Without knowing it, your original Chirithy created me through those memories.

"Ever since I was created, I've been trying to return these memories to you in the form of Nightmares. Since I'm just as connected to you as Chirithy, he wasn't able to stop me, but I wasn't able to return them in full. So, I tried a different tactic.

"I followed you and Chirithy the day you left your friends. On Chirithy's way to meet you, I cornered him and tried to fuse with him. You saw how that backfired."

"The Realm of Darkness," Nightly breathed, remembering the dark ball that disappeared after returning Chirithy back to normal.

"Yep," Chirithy replied. He continued with his story. "I even tried returning your memories to you after that, using the magic held within Castle Oblivion to amplify my own. When you just remembered everything on your own, the memories left me. But, there's one that I haven't let go of yet."

"How come?" Nightly inquired.

Nightmare Chirithy hesitated. "Firstly, because I wanted you to be prepared for it. Secondly, the moment I let go of this memory, I'll…disappear."

Stunned silence shot through Nightly's core. Shakily, she asked, "What…what memory are you holding on to?"

Nightmare Chirithy hesitated. "Are you sure you're strong enough to know?"

Nightly gave him a smile. "If my heart hasn't shattered yet, I doubt it will now." She gave a forced, rueful laugh.

Again, the Nightmare hesitated. "About that…"

The tone in his voice made Nightly pause. She looked down at him, waiting for an explanation. He finally said, "I guess it would be best to just show you."

"No," Nightly said immediately. "I don't want you to disappear."

The anti-Spirit looked up at his wielder forlornly. "Why not? My one purpose is to bring you pain."

"No," Nightly replied firmly. "Your purpose is to show me the truth. But I don't want to know the rest if it means you disappear." She picked up the Nightmare and held him close. "All you've tried to do is show me what I've been missing. You're the only one who hasn't been trying to lie to me throughout this whole mess, I can't just let you go just like that."

Nightmare Chirithy sighed, giving Nightly a small smile. "Nightly, I'm an anomaly. I was only created because your memories were taken in the first place. I have no real place in this world."

"Yes, you do," Nightly protested. "Your place is right next to me, just like a Chirithy should be."

Chirithy's smile widened. "Not this time, kiddo." He touched a paw to her cheek, giving up the last memory held within his grasp.

* * *

Riku and Kairi stumbled out of the Corridor of Light Aqua had summoned. It closed behind them, and they stared in awe at where they were.

"So…this is the Keyblade Graveyard," Riku stated.

"Yes," Aqua replied, "although this is just the Badlands. We need to get to the center of the world, where all the Keyblades are, that's probably where she is, if my hunch is correct."

"Alright, let's hurry. If she's remembered everything, she's gonna want to see a friendly face," Kairi reasoned, and the three ran off quickly, Master Aqua leading the way."

* * *

 **And that's the chapter!**

 **Next chapter, Nightly will be trying to come to terms with her restored memories, and we will see what Ephemer and Skuld have to say about all of this.**

 **SO, what do you guys think this last memory is? I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions in a review or a PM, so feel free to share!**

 **Alright, I will see you guys next time. Soon, we will be getting to a couple Disney worlds. I am open to suggestions, feel free to tell me what world you would like the characters to visit, and I will see what I can do!**

 **Stay tuned, everyone!**


	14. Chapter 14- Reflection: Part 1

" **I llllliiiiiiiiiiivvvvvvvveeee!" – Mushu, 1998.**

 **Hello, everyone!**

 **I am back! Sorry it took so long, finals and everything, y'all know how it is. This chapter is really long this time around, so I hope it makes up for it!**

 **Okay, so this chapter wasn't originally going to be posted today. I was going to just write the entire story of this chapter as one giant chapter, but it was driving me crazy to write something that long and I was itching to get you guys a new chapter. So, instead of finishing the huge chapter that is currently 26 pages, I finally decided to break it in half. You guys are getting the first 17 pages and the rest will be posted possibly within the next two weeks since I'm almost done.**

 **Thank you to everyone who sent world suggestions to me. You guys really helped me out pacing-wise!**

 **This chapter—and the chapter after this one—is dedicated to Tashasaurous and their idea to send Nightly and Aqua to Arendelle. This world and character combination was completely their idea, I just wrote it! :D**

 **Tashasaurous: thank you so much for all of your ideas! I really appreciate your responses!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, nor do I own Frozen.**

 **TRIGGER WARNING: PTSD flashbacks, dissociation. (sorry if this spoils, just wanted to cover all the bases)**

 **Also, I have "visual references" in this chapter to help you guys picture certain outfits better by just telling you what they are after I describe them.**

 **Okay, enough rambling. On to the show!**

* * *

Riku, Aqua, and Kairi walked briskly through the Badlands of the Keyblade Graveyard, Aqua taking the lead as the other two flanked her from behind.

The constant haze and beating sun were finally interrupted by an overhang in the rocky walls that covered the entire ground in shadow. Upon entering the cave-like structure, Aqua announced, "It's right around the corner."

Riku's eyes struggled slightly to adjust to the darker area, but indeed, he could see a bend in the rocks that lead to the left of where they were. He gave an encouraging smile to Kairi, who gave a small, nervous nod in return.

Aqua rounded the corner first, stopping short with wide eyes.

"What is it?" Riku asked, coming up beside her. He followed her gaze, stopping short as well.

Keyblades sat crooked and lifeless among the parched earth. They were arranged in four sections, paths perfectly separating them and creating a crossroads out of the remnants of the Keyblade War. And in the center of the crossroads, was Nightly.

She was on her knees, her front towards Aqua and Riku and Kairi. Her head was tilted upward, tears streaming from the corners of her eyes. Her arms rested limply in her lap, where a familiar, small, purple figure stood, its tiny paw touching Nightly's cheek.

"Nightly!" Aqua shouted, running to the two. Riku and Kairi followed suit, the two recognizing Nightmare Chirithy at the same time.

At the commotion, the Nightmare turned toward the three running. "No, wait!" he shouted.

Aqua got to them first, seeing the far-away look in Nightly's eyes as they darted slightly back and forth, seeing something she couldn't, her mouth slightly open in a daze. Aqua grabbed the Nightmare and pulled him away from her.

Master's Defense summoned, she pointed her blade at Nightmare Chirithy. "What did you do to her?"

The Nightmare just lay there, croaking out, "My purpose." He tried to pick himself up, only to fall back down again. Aqua hesitated at how weak he seemed, Riku and Kairi standing just as confused by her side.

The Nightmare once again spoke, "My purpose…was to return…her memories." He looked up at Aqua, then his eyes shifted to a spot between Aqua and Kairi.

Aqua felt a hand on her arm. Startled, she jumped back, seeing Nightly right behind her. Nightly's dead gaze panned up to Aqua's eyes, and she was silenced by their pitiful look.

Nightly's eyes fell back to Nightmare Chirithy. She let go of Aqua's arm and stepped toward him, kneeling by his side. She gently picked him up and held him close.

Her mouth opened, closed, then opened again. "If that's the truth, then why…how am I…?" she choked on her words, unable to finish her question.

"That's something I don't know," Nightmare Chirithy replied. He looked up at his wielder's eyes and said softly, "Maybe your friends can help you with that one." Flakes of darkness began to rise from the Nightmare.

Nightly drew a shaky breath at the sight. New tears began to fall as she begged, "Please…please don't go."

"'M sorry, kiddo," the Nightmare apologized. He gave her a small smile, "Please don't be sad. When you're sad, I'm sad."

Nightly sniffed, nodding to Chirithy as she pulled a pitiful smile on her own face. "I'm not sad, see?" she said with a lump in her throat.

Nightmare Chirithy's smile deepened. "I see, kiddo…I see." With a final sigh and small laugh, the dark flakes surrounded Chirithy, floating upward into the dry atmosphere. Nightly watched them go, looking back down at her hands to see Chirithy no longer there as the rest of the darkness faded away.

Her hands shaking, Nightly slowly wrapped her arms around herself, hugging her stomach, her eyes unfocused as she looked to the ground.

Aqua watched the young girl, unsure of what to do. It took her a moment to notice Nightly wasn't breathing. This realization made her snap out of her stupor, and she knelt down beside Nightly.

She put a hand on her back, Nightly flinching slightly at the touch. "Breathe, Nightly," Aqua said softly.

Nightly's head rose slightly, her bangs hiding her eyes, but her mouth open like a fish out of water. Rocking slightly, Nightly let out a shaking breath before inhaling hard, letting out a sob. She covered her mouth with both hands, stifling her sobs as best she could. Aqua pulled Nightly into an embrace, and Nightly buried her face in Aqua's shoulder, throwing her arms around Aqua's neck.

Aqua heard a small sniffle behind her. She looked up with tear-filled eyes to see Kairi trying to keep in her own tears. Aqua gave a forced smile, and Kairi got down on her knees, wrapping her arms around the other two on the ground.

Riku observed the three girls before him, feeling a deep sadness within him as well. His eyes left the three before him and looked around the Keyblade Graveyard. He couldn't even begin to imagine the madness and bloodshed that could have left a place in such a state. Seeing how so many died so long ago in a War so big…the very thought was just…sobering.

' _What have we gotten ourselves into?'_ Riku thought, feeling a fear rise up in him in realizing the very reason these wielders fought before is why he and his friends were fighting now.

' _Will this be our fate, too?'_

* * *

After what felt like hours, Nightly no longer felt strong enough to cry. She paused in Aqua's and Kairi's arms, taking shaking breaths until she regained as much composure as she thought she could.

She pulled her arms off Aqua, and felt Aqua and Kairi shift as she looked up at them. Upon raising her head, she felt a shift in her chest, and the familiar feeling of a dream crept up to her. Almost knowing what to expect, she blinked.

The sky above her darkened, the familiar lights of hearts floating off into the night sky above her. She looked back and forth to the three people in front of her.

Glancing at her over his shoulder, Master Ira stood in Riku's place. Master Invi, likewise, knelt where Aqua just had, tears staining her face, just as Aqua's had. She looked to her side, where Kairi had knelt. Her eyes widened slightly.

Golden eyes reflecting the hearts rising from their wielders, the mask of the Fox stared back at Nightly. Master Ava perched on her knees where Kairi had been just seconds ago, her hands folded in her lap.

Master Ava's mouth opened, and both hers and Kairi's voices came out. "Are you alright, Nightly?"

Nightly jolted, blinking in the process. The sky returned to its brightness, the Masters replaced with their doppelgangers. Nightly hesitated before looking back to Kairi and giving her a small, curt nod.

The three kept their eyes on her for a moment, collectively chalking it up to the sudden stress of the situation.

Aqua spoke up first. "Nightly, we should get back to Ephemer and Skuld. They're worried about you."

Nightly shook her head fiercely, hugging herself tightly. She opened her mouth to say something, but could only clench her teeth. She hesitated before finally speaking through her teeth, "I…I can't."

Kairi's shoulders slumped in sympathy. "I know this is hard for you, but you should really get back to them. They can help you."

"Oh, like they've been 'helping me' for the past year of my life?" Nightly snapped, her head up, sorrowful eyes suddenly filled with rage. "Yeah, I'd _love_ to have my memories taken away again only to remember again a year later."

Kairi's mouth hung open slightly as she looked visibly hurt. Nightly's eyes widened at her mistake, and she buried her eyes in the palms of her hands. "I'm sorry. I just…I can't even think straight about what they did." Her hands moved to her hair, clutching her bangs as if she were about to rip them out.

She stood slowly, taking a tentative step back. "I just…I just…" Another Corridor of Light appeared behind Nightly, and she stepped back in a daze, her eyes glossing over again.

Aqua rushed forward as Nightly began to step through. "Nightly, snap out of it," she warned.

Her words fell on deaf ears as Nightly continued to back up, her thoughts completely disconnecting her from the rest of the world. The Corridor of Light engulfed her, and Aqua shot toward it.

"Aqua," Riku called, reaching for her as she slipped through, the Corridor closing behind her, leaving Kairi and Riku alone in the middle of the wasteland of the Keyblade Graveyard.

* * *

Aqua grabbed Nightly's arm as soon as she saw the distressed girl. The touch made her flinch, but succeeded in snapping her out of her daze.

Nightly's gaze refocused, and she looked up to Aqua, letting go of her hair. Her eyes shifted to behind Aqua. "Where are we?" she asked.

Aqua turned around, finding the Corridor of Light had disappeared. Instead, she found herself on a steep hillside overlooking a small town at the edge of the sea. At the end of the town, right on the shoreline, stood a castle. Square in symmetry, it rose dull and gray as it reached into the night sky, its roofs round and pointed, tinted with a dark green coloration. A small bridge led from the castle into the town, where the cobblestone path continued up the hill side until Aqua found herself looking down at her own feet.

She turned, seeing the large wall close behind her that served as the little kingdom's border. The large arch in the wall stood as an opening between the kingdom and the outside world. Beyond the entrance lay acres upon acres of forest and mountainside that reached into the heavens above the two standing on the cobblestone road.

"I…don't know," Aqua answered Nightly. "I've never been here before." She looked down to Nightly, whose eyes had finally gained and retained focus. "Have you been here before? You summoned the Corridor."

"I did?" Nightly asked curiously. She looked around again. "I haven't been here before, either. I guess I wasn't thinking clearly again. Sorry…" her head lowered in embarrassment and sadness as she clutched her arm.

"It's okay," Aqua replied happily, putting a hand on her shoulder, feeling a small burden lift when Nightly didn't flinch. "Let's just figure out where we are so we can—"

Aqua was interrupted by the sudden fear that the world was splitting open from under her. A sound like that of an earthquake rocked the air around them, and Nightly gasped, staring at something behind Aqua.

She turned in time to see the sea below them quickly freezing over. It started from the right and fanned all the way to the left, a blue light leading the way as it stopped the ships within the land's borders right in their tracks.

The two stood breathless, unsure of what just happened. At the same time, they became aware of a sudden chill that cut through the warm night air. They shivered, rubbing their arms as Aqua noticed something from the corner of her eye. She looked up, seeing small specks of white floating gracefully down to the ground.

"It's snowing," she breathed incredulously, reaching up, the flakes of white brushing her fingers. Nightly stepped up beside her, holding her hand at eye level as she caught snowflakes in her palm.

"But…how? It was summery just a moment ago," Nightly said as the snow melted in her hand.

"Make way!" a voice called from down the path, accented by the sound of hooves on the stone.

Aqua saw her first. A young woman on horseback sped toward them. Having just seen the two girls as well, she held a panicked look in her blue eyes. Aqua grabbed Nightly's arm and pulled her away as the ginger girl passed them by, her green dress billowing in the breeze behind her.

"Sorry!" she called back.

Aqua stared after the girl in shock, her heart racing. She looked to Nightly to make sure she was alright.

Nightly, too, watched the girl go, her fist clenching her scarf over her chest. "Princess," she breathed.

"What?" Aqua asked, breathing a little heavily.

Nightly broke from Aqua's grip, going back to the middle of the road. She looked at Aqua, a new light in her eyes. "Didn't you feel it? She's a Light!"

"A light?" Aqua questioned. "What are you talking about?"

"She's a Princess of Heart," Nightly clarified breathlessly.

"What?" Aqua joined her, trying to find the girl; but she had already disappeared into the trees. "Are you sure?"

Nightly nodded, beginning to walk where the mysterious girl had gone. "We have to help her. She's going up the mountain in the middle of a sudden winter with nothing but a summer dress and a horse."

"But what about us?" Aqua asked, making Nightly stop. "One: we don't have winter clothes, either. Two: we don't even have clothes that could help us blend in in the first place."

Nightly paused, turning back to Aqua, her eyebrows knitting together in thought. She went up to Aqua, stopping to look up at her before walking around her.

"Um, what are you doing?" Aqua asked, looking behind her to watch Nightly as she walked all the way around to her right.

"Thinking," Nightly answered, taking Aqua's wrist, looking back up at her. Aqua looked back at her with confusion in her eyes.

Nightly closed her eyes, and Aqua looked at herself in surprise as her body began glowing from an unknown source. She had to close her eyes from its brightness.

When the light finally subsided, she heard a happy sound come from Nightly. "It worked!" the girl exclaimed.

Aqua opened her eyes, looking down at what now adorned her body.

A heavy dress-coat hugged her upper body, flaring slightly as it covered her legs, with thick sleeves running down her arms. She felt similar pants on under the dress that fit into thick, furry boots, while gloves fit snuggly over her hands.

The dress itself was a deep, navy blue with red and green patterns running around the hem of the skirt as well as the collar that raised up around her neck. Similar patterns covered the arms, with flowers below the pattern on the sleeves and above the pattern on the skirt. **(Visual reference: Fur Coat without the hood or pom-pom. The fur on the boots and gloves isn't as thick, though.)**

Aqua stared in awe at the outfit. "How did…?" she began, looking to Nightly with a smile on her face.

"It's the power I was telling you guys about before," Nightly explained. "I wasn't sure if I could transfer it onto someone else, but it worked."

"Huh?" Aqua mused. She looked down at Nightly. "What about you? Please don't tell me this is the only piece of winter gear you have."

Nightly laughed, a sound Aqua didn't realize she had missed among everything that had been happening recently. "Don't worry, I'm good." Nightly clutched her shoulder, and she too became enveloped in light before appearing in a different outfit.

Her outfit was a red winter dress that fell down below her knees complete with thick leggings, black boots, and black gloves. The dress had a plaid pattern with green, gold, and darker red colors around it. Grey fur completed its hems, peeking out at the bottom of the hem, the collar, and the sleeves. The gloves also had similar fur coming out of them, leaving a bit of her arms exposed to the winter air. **(Visual reference: Winter Minnie without the ribbon, hairstyle, or Mickey doll. The dress isn't as poofy here as it is in the game.)**

"Are you alright?" Aqua asked, gesturing to her exposed arms.

Nightly looked down before nodding, a wide smile on her face. "Mm-hm! We should go before we really lose where she's going."

The two set off, suddenly noticing how heavy the snowfall had gotten. "At least we'll be able to see the horse tracks, soon," Aqua added optimistically.

"True," Nightly agreed as the two began their trek into the now-winter woods.

* * *

Aqua and Nightly were slowly losing feeling in their toes. The snow had stopped falling, but the white ground was now above their ankles. They had to lift each foot with effort to make progress, their steps leaving a satisfying crunch in the snow. Aqua was right, they had found the horse tracks right as the sun began to fill the sky with pinks and blues and yellows. Now high in the sky, the two were almost blinded by the whiteness as they followed the well-defined snow tracks of the girl's horse.

Aqua looked down at Nightly, noticing something different about her companion. "Nightly, where did your glasses go?"

"Hm? Oh, I took them off a little while ago. I…feel like I don't need them anymore. I felt like I was hiding with them on, but now I don't feel like hiding," she explained, not taking her eyes off the path in front of them.

Aqua observed her friends face for a moment. Before, her glasses had covered the bridge of her nose and some of her cheeks. Now off, Aqua could see the freckles that peppered her face and highlighted her youth.

Aqua smiled at Nightly's resolve and turned her attention back to the tracks as she heard a voice coming from in front of them. Having also heard it, Nightly stopped for a moment, listening.

The two exchanged a look before picking up the pace, knowing they were close to the girl. They heard the voice go quiet, but didn't stop in their pursuit.

Among their own footsteps they didn't hear the sound of hooves in the snow until it was right in front of them. They ended up throwing themselves out of the way for the second time that day as the white horse from before sped away from the direction the tracks led.

The two glanced at the horse, then to each other, before running as fast as they could to follow the rest of the tracks.

They rounded a bend in the trees, seeing the girl from earlier pulling on a cedar tree to try and pull herself up from where she'd fallen. Her hand slipped, sending the tree back upright as all the snow on top landed on the girl, covering her completely except for her arms, which stuck out to the sides in defeat.

Aqua made it to her first, sticking her hands under the snow about where the girl's underarms were and pulled her up gently.

"Woah, hey!" the girl yelped. Out of surprise, she jerked away from Aqua and whirled around to see the two girls standing out-of-breath before her.

Recognizing them quickly, she smiled. "Oh, thank you. And, uh…sorry for almost hitting you with my horse earlier."

Aqua smiled in response. "It's completely fine," she said, waving her hand in dismission. "We just wanted to make sure you were okay." She gestured to herself, then to Nightly. "My name is Aqua, and this is my friend, Nightly." Nightly gave a small wave and smile.

The girl responded by pulling the sides of her dress slightly in a small lady-like curtsy. "Princess Anna, of Arendelle."

Aqua's mannerisms kicked in immediately once she heard 'princess'. "Oh, Your Highness." Aqua curtsied as best she could in the heavy coat. "Please forgive my friend and me."

Nightly, surprised at Aqua's sudden gesture, looked between her and Anna quickly, before mimicking Aqua's pose as quickly as she could with a small sound of shock.

Anna gasped, "Oh, no no no, it's okay, really. You don't have to do that." Aqua and Nightly stood from their curtsies as she explained, "I'm not _that_ princess, don't worry." She paused, observing their faces. "You two weren't at the ball. Are you from Arendelle?"

"No, Your Highness—" Aqua began.

"Please…just Anna," Anna interrupted.

"Right, Anna," Aqua corrected sheepishly with a small chuckle, "We aren't from Arendelle. We're from…far away,"

"Oh, so you came for the coronation?" Anna asked innocently.

Confused, Aqua and Nightly exchanged a glance. Thinking fast, Nightly perked up. "No, sorry. We didn't hear anything about a coronation. We travel around a lot from place to place. I'm afraid we never heard anything about that."

"Ah, that makes sense why you were at the gate," Anna concluded to herself. "Well, my sister, Elsa, turned eighteen a couple days ago, so her coronation was held today to crown her queen of Arendelle." Her gaze turned downward, as did her mood. "I kinda made her mad, though, and she ended up turning the summer into winter. So, I gotta go find her so she can turn it back again." She ended her explanation with a new look of determination in her eyes.

"Well, Anna," Aqua said, "We would like to accompany you while you try and find her. It can be dangerous up here, and my friend and I can help you get up there a little safer."

Anna hesitated. She hadn't even thought about the dangers of coming up here on her own. Heck, she'd never really been outside the castle before. _'What was I thinking?'_ she asked herself wearily.

Pulling on a smile, she said, "It would be really nice to have some company, actually." Aqua and Nightly smiled back at her.

"Now, which direction did you sister run off to?" Aqua asked as all three began to walk up the mountain.

* * *

"So, she's just been able to do that for…how long?" Nightly questioned.

"I'm not sure. I guess forever," Anna replied, holding her dress as they all trudged through the snow.

The party of three had walked the rest of the day, their only known destination being The North Mountain. The day had passed, and the late hours of the day had turned into the early hours of the night.

Anna continued, "I mean, if she had powers this whole time, that's fine. It's just…she couldn't tell me about it?" She continued to struggle up the hill, beginning to shiver. "And of all things—snow! H-had to be snow. She couldn't have had tropical magic that covered the fjords in white sand and warm…" she trailed off, coming to a stop at the top of the hill and staring longingly. Aqua and Nightly followed her gaze, seeing a yellow light with smoke rising from its source at the other side of the hill.

"Fire," Anna finished with a laugh. Her luck seemed to take a sudden turn, however, as the snow below her suddenly gave way, sending the red-head tumbling down the hill only to land in a previously un-seen creek at the bottom of the hill.

Aqua and Nightly exchanged a panicked glance, running down the hill as fast as they could before realizing Anna had lost her shawl in the process. Before they could get to her, though, she had pushed herself up and was trying to get to the fire source as quickly as possible, muttering "cold" repetitively.

Instead, Aqua ran past them to get the door of the tiny cabin they had found, while Nightly stayed by Anna's side, eyeing her frozen-solid dress with concerned amusement.

Anna made it to the steps, but her dress prevented her from stepping up at first. She glanced down, Nightly taking her arm as she twisted to step up onto the porch.

She straightened, and Aqua opened the door to let her in. Before she did, though, Anna took the time to hit the snow off the sign and read it, letting the others know they were at—

"Wandering Oaken's Trading Post." Another bit of snow fell off the sign. "Ooh! And sauna."

Satisfied, Anna walked in, nodding a thanks to Aqua as she shut the door behind them.

"Yoo-hoo," came a call to the left. The three girls turned to see a man wearing a sweater, overalls, and matching hat with a pom-pom on top. His hands held in a pyramid shape, he tapped his hands together and announced, "Big summer blowout!"

While Anna listened to the man describe what he was offering, Nightly and Aqua exchanged a glance, not knowing whether to take the man seriously or not.

"Why is he selling summer clothes on a winter mountain?" Nightly asked Aqua quietly.

Aqua just shrugged, "I guess it's not normally wintery up here," she said, turning her attention back to the tradesman.

"Oh," Nightly replied, nodding in agreement.

"For, now, how about boots—winter boots? And dresses?" Anna asked.

"That would be in our winter department," the tradesman replied, gesturing over to the far wall.

The trio looked to where he gestured, only seeing a chair, whereupon sat a pair of boots and two pieces of clothing.

Nightly's head tilted to the side in confusion. _'Seriously? That's it?'_ she thought incredulously.

Anna hesitated before approaching the garments, picking them up as she asked the tradesman, "I was wondering: Has another young woman—the queen, perhaps, I don't know—passed through here?"

The tradesman replied jokingly, "Only one crazy enough to be out in this storm is you three, dears."

The four were startled by the door suddenly opening to reveal a tall man covered head-to-toe in snow-layered winter wear. He looked around before his eyes landed on Anna and the tradesman.

The tradesman corrected his original statement. "You and this fellow," he said quickly before announcing the sale to the man.

The man approached Anna, his heavy breathing sounding menacing under his handkerchief. Aqua pulled Nightly behind her protectively, not sure what was happening but ready to pounce should the man try and hurt Anna.

He stood in front of her before stating, "Carrots."

Anna stopped in her humming and asked, "Huh?"

The man leaned in closer before clarifying, "Behind you."

Anna pulled her slowly-thawing dress out of the way, revealing the carrots on the shelf right at her knees. "Oh! 'Scuse me," she apologized, moving out of the way. The man grabbed the carrots, tossing them onto the counter.

The tension diffused, Aqua and Nightly parted to get out of his way as he turned, heading for the "winter department" of the tiny trading post.

The tradesman tried to strike up a conversation. "A real howler in July, yes? Wherever could it be coming from?"

The man grabbed the rope and the pickaxe before answering, "The North Mountain." He came back up to the desk and placed his items on the counter as Anna mused over what he said.

"That'll be forty," the tradesman said upon reviewing what the man wished to buy.

"What? No, ten!" the man protested.

Nightly leaned to Aqua and asked, "Forty what? Munny?" Aqua once again shrugged at the question as the tradesman gave an excuse having to do with supply and demand.

"You wanna talk about a supply and demand problem?" The man fired back. "I sell ice for a living!"

Aqua peeked out the window, seeing the man's sled full of blocks of ice as she pulled in a breath between her teeth.

"Ooh, that's a rough business to be in right now," Anna laughed. She glanced over at the man, seeing his glare before correcting herself. "T-that's unfortunate."

"Still forty," the tradesman said before offering, "But I will throw in a visit to Oaken's sauna." He waved at the sauna calling out, "Hi, family!"

"Yoo-hoo!" came a chorus of voices behind Aqua and Nightly, who both jumped to see the family of five sitting in towels in the small sauna. Aqua's eyes widened as she was struck with the realization that they had been there the whole time and she hadn't noticed, while Nightly's head just tilted in confusion again.

Anna waved back at them as the man replied, "Ten's all I got. Help me out."

"Okay," the tradesman said, pushing the carrots to the front. "Ten will get you this and no more."

Anna, ignoring the bartering happening right in front of her, questioned the snowy, annoyed man, "Okay, real quick: what was happening on the North Mountain? Did it seem…magical?"

The man pulled down his scarf in frustration, giving an exasperated, "Yes! Now back up…while I deal with this crook here." He gestured to the tradesman.

The floorboards creaked, the desk and chair shifting as the tradesman stood slowly. Suddenly aware of the mistake he had made, the man's eyes could only widen in shock as he stared at the moving mountain before him.

"What did you call me?" the tradesman asked, looking hurt, which did nothing to stint the tension in the room that had become almost palpable.

Even Master Aqua, who had always thought of herself as a level-headed individual with a demeanor to match, found herself dumbfounded and downright confused as she saw the man exert a surprising amount of strength and speed in coming around the desk, scooping up the now-flustered man and opening the door.

A couple protests came from the man before Aqua saw the tradesman pitch him into the cold, only to turn right back around, throwing a "Bye-bye!" over his shoulder.

The tradesman, now calmer, sat back down and said to the three girls still in the shack, "I'm sorry about this violence." He put a bottle of what looked to be preserved fish parts on the counter. "I will add a quart of lutefisk, so we'll have good feelings."

Nightly found herself holding back a gag at what was in the bottle. She looked anywhere other than the monstrosity that was that bottle, trying her hardest not to think too hard about how the contents of the bottle got where they were as the tradesman asked Anna if the outfit and boots was all she wanted to purchase.

"Uh…" Anna thought, looking down at the counter full of wares. She glanced outside, where the man had been thrown. "Actually," she continued, "I'll take the carrots and supplies, too, please." She gave the tradesman a winning smile.

The tradesman's eyes glimmered as he told her the total. "That will be eighty-five."

Again, Nightly and Aqua wondered what kind of currency they were talking in, but got their answer when Anna pulled out eight gold coins and one silver coin from a small pouch tucked in at the back of her corset. She gave the tradesman the coins. "Thank you so much. Uh, do you have a couple satchels I could put these in?" she asked politely.

"Absolutely, dear," the tradesman replied. He stood again. "I will go get them for you."

"And is there somewhere I can change?" Anna asked sheepishly.

"Oh, of course!" The tradesman gestured back to the "winter department", and for the first time, the trio saw a small door at the corner, hiding a small closet-sized changing room.

"Thanks," Anna said, picking up the boots and dress and heading over as the tradesman went to the back to get some satchels.

Aqua stopped her on the way to the room. "Anna, are you seriously gonna go with that guy that came in here?"

Anna nodded, ducking around Aqua. "He knows his way to the North Mountain. That's where my sister headed, that's where I'm gonna go."

She entered the changing room and continued to talk, "But none of us—ugh—really know how to get up there." The rustling of clothing preceded her green dress being thrown over the door. For the third time that day, Aqua had to dodge something. Nightly, however, wasn't so lucky. Not expecting the flying fabric, she gave a yelp of surprise as it landed softly on her head.

Anna continued, "So, I figured, if he knows the area, he could take us."

"What makes you think he'll do that?" Nightly questioned, pulling the dress off her.

"Because I—" Anna opened the door, revealing the blue winter dress she now wore, "have the supplies he wants." She pulled the pink cloak around her shoulders, clasping it at the front before reaching up and letting her hair down.

She started shaking it out as the tradesman came back, holding two brown satchels. Nightly joined him at the desk, putting the carrots in one bag while he put the pickaxe and rope in the other. She nodded her thanks to him, smiling shyly as he handed her the other bag.

By the time she came back to Aqua and Anna, Anna had already braided her hair so it fell on either side of her, each braid resting comfortably on her shoulders. She then pulled on a bonnet that had come with the outfit. Aqua handed her a pair of mittens Anna had asked her to hold while she worked on her hair.

After a couple short hops, she had donned the boots and began heading for the door. Suddenly remembering, she stopped short, looking to the desk, seeing it void of the other items. "Where did…?"

Nightly held up the satchels, smiling at Anna. "Oh, thanks!" she said, taking one of the satchels—the one with the supplies—before opening the door to the cold outside. She stopped again, leaning in past Aqua and Nightly and giving the tradesman a cheery "Thank you so much!"

The tradesman, a laugh in his voice, replied, "You are very welcome! You three come back any time you want!"

Aqua nodded to the tradesman, as did Nightly, before heading back out into the cold.

Anna stood on the porch, clutching the strap of the satchel, staring at the sled that sat in the cold. "Where on earth did he go?" she asked herself.

The three stood on the porch, all wondering the same thing. A slight breeze blew by, carrying the strum of a lute through the air. The girls looked toward its source, seeing another small shack—this one more like a barn—half-covered in snow. A light shone from underneath the door.

"Ah, there!" Anna said happily, hopping down from the porch and heading over to the door.

She reached for the handle, hesitating before pressing her ear up to the door. She drew a silent breath, giving Aqua and Nightly a look that screamed "CUTE!" before covering her mouth in delight.

Aqua stood closer to the door, as did Nightly. The two looked at each other as they heard what it was Anna was hearing.

On the other side of the door, the man from earlier was singing, "But people smell better than reindeer. Sven, don't you think I'm right?"

The man changed his voice, apparently fitting the description of whoever this "Sven" was. "That's once again true, for all except you."

Nightly stifled a giggle as his voice returned to normal. "You got me, let's call it a night."

" _Goodnight._ "

"Don't let the frostbite bite." He strummed the final chord.

Anna, taking this as an invitation, pushed open the door. "Nice duet."

The man startled, calming when he saw Anna, Aqua and Nightly. "Oh, it's just you. What do you three want?"

"I want you to take us up the North Mountain," Anna said assertively.

The man, however, just raised an eyebrow. He lay back down, dropping his hat on his face. "I don't take people places."

Anna's jaw set. "Let me rephrase that." She threw the satchel of supplies at the man, which landed squarely in his lap, startling him up again. He looked in the satchel, seeing the supplies with wide eyes.

Anna continued, "Take us up the North Mountain. Please."

The man, still being a stick in the mud, lay back down again, dropping his hat on his face once again. "We leave at dawn," he said grumpily, adding, "and you forgot the carrots for Sven."

Anna motioned to Nightly, who handed over the other satchel. Once in her hand, Anna chucked it at the man. Her aim slightly off from her previous throw, the bag ended up slamming right in his face, the carrots spilling out onto his chest.

He gave her a look of surprise as she apologized, catching herself and saying sternly. "We leave now. Right now." She turned and began heading to the sled, Aqua and Nightly joining her as the three waited for the man to come out of the barn.

* * *

The sled slid precariously toward the edge of the cliff before righting and continuing on the path. From the back of the now-iceless sled, Aqua asked Nightly, "Are you okay?" The poor girl had turned sheet white, her arms locked around the side of the sled, refusing to let go.

Nightly gave a shaky nod. "And I thought flying the Gummi Armor was terrifying," she said, eyes frozen open in shock.

Aqua reassured her, "Well, at least we're away from the cliff now." She glanced up at the two sitting in the front seat, as part of their conversation caught her attention.

"Hang on," the man—Kristoff—said, shocked. "You mean to tell me you got engaged to someone you just met that day?!"

"Yes, pay attention," Anna fired back, trying to explain what she had told Aqua and Nightly earlier about Elsa.

Aqua, having this been the first she'd heard of this "engagement", interrupted her. "Didn't your parents ever warn you about strangers?" Kristoff pointed at Aqua in agreement.

Anna paused, looking hard at Kristoff before scooting away slightly. "Yes, they did." She continued talking to Kristoff as Aqua shook her head and sat back down next to Nightly. She looked back at the young girl, who was now holding her head, eyes shut tight.

"Hey, you okay?" Aqua kneeled in front of her, seeing the tears squeezing through her tightly-shut lids. It suddenly hit Aqua that all this commotion probably wasn't good for her.

Not entirely sure what to do, she tentatively reached forward, lightly touching Nightly on the arm. Nightly jerked, her eyes flying open as she tried to move away from the disturbance, only to hit the back of her head on the side of the sled. She gazed at Aqua, not really seeing anything.

"Nightly," Aqua said calmly. "It's me, Aqua. Are you okay?"

Nightly's eyes slowly refocused. A moment passed, and she rubbed her tears dry on her glove. She nodded to Aqua, giving her a small smile.

Aqua returned the smile, feeling the sled slow down. Kristoff made Anna quiet down as he stood, dropping the reins and grabbing the lantern on the hook in one smooth motion. He looked to the right, then the left, then turned. Glancing down at the two in the back, he leaned over them, sticking the lantern out as far as he could.

Aqua looked up at his squinted gaze, then followed it. At first, nothing but darkness stared back.

But then, in rapid succession, pairs of glowing, yellow eyes gazed at the sled with ill intent.

"Sven, run," Kristoff commanded immediately, turning back around.

"What is it?" Anna asked as the sled jerked back into motion, Sven in an all-out sprint.

"Wolves," Kristoff replied, panic beginning to take over his voice, putting the lantern back on its hook.

"What?!" Anna exclaimed. "What are we going to do?"

"Let me take care of it," Kristoff said in a huff.

"Actually," Aqua interjected. Kristoff and Anna looked back to see Aqua and Nightly standing behind them, bracing themselves against the sides of the sled, Nightly on Kristoff's side, Aqua on Anna's. The two blinked at the oddly-shaped weapons that had suddenly appeared in their hands. The look of determination on their faces was reflected in Aqua's voice.

"Let _us_ take of it."

The two up front nodded, returning their focus to the front. "Faster, Sven!" Kristoff commanded, whipping the reins.

Aqua and Nightly exchanged a nod, then turned to the advancing wolves.

As the wolves advanced, the two shot fireballs at them, hitting them directly and making them fall away. This didn't deter them, though, as two seemed to replace every one that was hit.

Nightly felt Aqua pause. She glanced at her partner, seeing her eyes narrow at the advancing crowd before she raised her Keyblade. She aimed it at the wolves, a large fire spell shooting off her Keyblade. Instead of one giant fireball hitting a big area, as Nightly expected, the fire split up, multiple shots firing off and aiming specifically at about four of the wolves. The wolves that were hit went to the ground and didn't get back up.

"Woah, how'd you do that?" Nightly asked in awe.

"Don't focus on one at a time," Aqua quickly explained, not having time to go into detail as she began firing again, this time normal attacks.

Nightly paused, looking back at the oncoming swarm, processing the words. She mentally took a step back, seeing all the wolves lined up just at the edge of the lantern light. She became suddenly aware of just how many there were. There were about ten that she could quickly count, and who knew how many were out of sight.

She had a strange feeling overcome her, almost like vertigo. Time seemed to slow as she looked over the crowd. Her mind seemed to split, each piece targeting a different wolf as they passed her gaze. She raised her Keyblade.

Aqua watched out of the corner of her eye as Nightly raised Starlight and took aim. She turned in time to see her execute a fairly good Shotlock. It hit the targets, but only one of the wolves went down, while the other six she hit only stumbled.

Still, Aqua couldn't help but smile as she fired a volley of shots at the wolves Nightly hit, making them go down with just one shot each, helping her finish the job.

"Nice job!" Aqua praised, smiling at Nightly.

"Thanks," Nightly said breathlessly. "But why didn't they all go down?"

"While you shouldn't focus on all at once, don't focus on too many, either," Aqua explained as they continued to fire at the advancing canines. "I'll teach you a little more later."

"Okay!" Nightly said happily.

"Get ready to jump, Sven!" Anna exclaimed.

"Huh?" Aqua asked, looking over her shoulder to see that they were all heading towards a huge chasm. Nightly gasped at the sight.

"You don't tell him what to do, I do," Kristoff argued, shoving a pack into Anna's arms and throwing her onto Sven. He reached behind him and grabbed Nightly. He hauled her to the front of the sled and threw her with a surprisingly accurate toss onto Sven's back behind Anna before she could even process what was happening.

"Jump, Sven!" he cried, cutting the rope tethering the sled to the reindeer.

Feeling the weight of the sled leave him, Sven took one last mad dash for the cliff before bounding over it with all his might, Anna and Nightly holding on for dear life. The sled followed, tipping right over the edge.

"We gotta jump," Kristoff half-yelled, throwing a look at Aqua, who nodded back at him. Before beginning its descent, Kristoff threw himself off the sled while Aqua jumped gracefully as close as she could to the other side. _'We're not gonna make it!'_ she thought suddenly, noticing their descent beginning far too early.

Thinking fast, she summoned Master's Defense and cast an Aeroga behind them. The extra boost from the spell sent them over the other side of the cliff. Aqua stumbled slightly next to Nightly, who helped her steady herself, while Kristoff landed in a faceplant next to Sven. He rolled over, staying there for a moment. Once the shock of the landing wore off, Kristoff crawled toward the edge to see the broken wreckage that was now his sled.

"Aww," he moaned, "but I just paid it off."

Anna, Aqua, and Nightly leaned precariously over the cliff's edge, seeing the wreckage.

"Ooh…" Nightly couldn't help but say softly.

"I'll replace your sled…and everything in it," Anna promised weakly.

Kristoff only groaned, flopping over and covering his eyes with his arm.

Anna continued, "I understand if you don't want to help me anymore…" Her gaze low, she turned around and began trekking up the mountain.

Nightly looked from Kristoff, to Anna, to Aqua. She nudged Aqua, her eyes conflicted. Aqua looked to Anna, then to Nightly, and tilted her head in Anna's direction. Nightly gave one last glance to Kristoff before following Aqua, who began following Anna.

Anna looked back, seeing Aqua and Nightly following her. She gave a grateful, sheepish smile before turning back around, a little to the right. "Okay, I think it's this way to the North Mountain," she said, pointing the way she was facing.

"Um," Aqua thought, looking toward the left, at the higher-peaked mountains, "I don't know. I think that might the way." She pointed the direction she was facing.

The two simultaneously looked to Nightly, who stood looking between the two, dumbfounded. "Uh…" she droned, not knowing what to say.

"Hold up. We're coming," Kristoff called stiffly, unknowingly saving Nightly from an awkward situation.

"Really?" Anna said happily, clapping her hands together happily.

Kristoff groaned, trudging up to meet them, Sven following behind. "Yep," he sighed. "This way," he said, walking up the mountain right in the center of where Anna and Aqua were pointing.

The three watched him for a moment, Nightly's snort of laughter breaking the stunned silence between them. Aqua and Anna looked to each other's dumbstruck face before chuckling lightly and following Kristoff.

* * *

Riku held the door open for Kairi as the two entered Yen Sid's office. Chirithy and Mickey looked up expectantly as they came in.

"Where's Aqua?" Mickey asked.

"Well," Riku answered, "with Nightly, we think."

"Are you sure?" Chirithy asked, hopping up from his spot on the floor.

"Well, we found her at the Keyblade Graveyard, and then she summoned a Corridor of Light, and Aqua followed her through," Kairi explained. "So, yeah, we think they're together."

"Oh, good," Chirithy breathed. "I can feel her mind is a little clearer, but she's still troubled. I'm glad Aqua's with her."

"Honestly, I'm not surprised," Riku asked. "We kinda ran into Nightmare Chirithy at the Graveyard."

"WHAT?" Chirithy exclaimed.

"Don't worry," Kairi said sadly, "he's…not around anymore."

Chirithy hesitated. "What do you mean?"

Riku replied, "When she remembered everything, he disappeared. Apparently, that was his purpose. Now that she has all of her memories back, his purpose was over, and he faded away."

Chirithy took a moment before speaking. "Oh…that…that explains everything, then…"

"Explains…what, exactly?" Mickey inquired.

"The nightmares," Chirithy explained. "And the guilt he was talking about. If that guilt comes from her memories, then that's why she's feeling troubled. It's just her guilt coming back to her." He turned a little away from the others, beginning to speak a bit more to himself than anyone else. "Coupled with the unease I feel from her, and the forced happiness…" He concluded to himself, "She's running from her feelings. She's completely ignoring them."

"And…how bad is that, exactly?" Kairi asked.

"Well," Chirithy replied, "depending on what will help her and how she's coping, it might be best to just let her run for a little while longer. She knows she'll have to face them, but until we figure out the best way to help her do so, we should just let her be and wait until she gets back."

Kairi, Riku, and Mickey looked between each other, silently agreeing with the Spirit.

"Okay," Riku replied.

* * *

 **And scene!**

 **One of the reasons I wanted to write such a long chapter for this part of the story was solely because I'm essentially rewriting the entire movie to fit the story. That's an interesting endeavor, to say the least, but I enjoy the challenge!**

 **Speaking of challenges, I have started a DeviantArt account, and will be beginning a series of character concepts for characters that will be making an appearance by the end of the story. I wanted to post one with this chapter, but I am not done with it yet, so it will come out with the next chapter, which will hopefully be out within the next two weeks.**

 **Well, I'll see you guys soon with the conclusion of the visit to Arendelle. Stay tuned!**


	15. Chapter 15- Reflection: Part 2

**Hello, everyone!**

 **As promised, here is the next chapter, though admittedly, it's a little later than I thought it would be. Sorry, guys, I was worked a lot more than I thought I would be.**

 **This chapter is officially the longest chapter I've ever written, and I'm finding it easier and more fun to write longer chapters. I hope you guys like these really long chapters, there will be many more like them in the future.**

 **So, this is the first time I've ever tried to write (or more, re-write) a Disney story with Kingdom Hearts aspects. I had a lot of fun with it, though would change things had I allowed myself more time to think about setup. For me, ideas can change mid-chapter, even mid-sentence, and I feel like I could have done a better job with the setup of this particular Disney world/Kingdom Hearts cross.**

 **That being said, I will be editing and revising all of these chapters at some point, just to weed out spelling and grammar mistakes I didn't catch the first go-round. Some chapters I'll even rewrite to suit the story better and so you guys won't be stuck with a bunch of filler the movies already set up.**

 **Again, thank you so much to Tashasaurous for you idea to send Nightly and Aqua to Arendelle, as well as your idea to send Lea, Ephemer, and Skuld to Kingdom of Corona. This one's for you!**

* * *

The quintet came to a flatter part of the mountain. Thankful for an easier trek on their legs, they looked around at their newfound surroundings with surprise and awe.

A throng of willows stood around a frozen lake. The branches hung low, the water that had been in the process of running down them frozen in multiple spots along them, looking as if each branch were its own string of smooth, glittering Christmas lights that dazzled in the sunlight.

Kristoff reached out, running some of the branches through his hand. Nightly drew in an excited breath, hearing the slight 'tink' they made as they hit each other in his hand. She grabbed a handful of the branches, running a little along the edge of one of the trees, ending up with about fifteen of them in her hand.

Seeing her antics, Aqua looked to see what her unofficial charge was up to. "Nightly, what—?" she began.

"Watch," Nightly said with a smile. She pulled her hand back before throwing it across her body like she was casting magic without her Keyblade. The branches flew from her hand, knocking into other branches, creating a chain reaction that set the entire tree into motion, creating the largest natural windchime they had ever seen, the clinks and plinks combining into a chorus of tiny xylophones flitting through the air.

The group watched in awe as the tree's branches grew quieter. Anna, with her hands clasped in admiration, thought aloud, "I never knew winter could be so beautiful."

"Yeah, it _is_ beautiful, isn't it?" said a voice, giving the group pause. The four humans looked around for the voice as it continued, "But it's so white. You know, how about a little _color_?"

Anna and Kristoff looked to Sven, who looked back with as much equivalence to human confusion a reindeer can muster. Still, the voice ranted, "I'm thinking, like, maybe some crimson, chartreuse—"

Nightly gasped, partly covering her mouth as she stared in wonder and bewilderment at something approaching the group. The other four turned, seeing a two-foot-tall snowman waddling his way toward the group.

Incredulously, they watched as his mouth actually _moved_ as he thought aloud, "How about yellow—no, not yellow. Yellow and snow? Brr—no go."

By this point, it had made its way to the center of the group. Completely oblivious to their looks, he looked up to Anna and asked, "Am I right?"

Something within Anna flipped. She screamed, kicking the snowman's head clean off his body. It flew into Kristoff's hands, where the snowman greeted him cheerfully. "Hi!"

"You're creepy," Kristoff returned, hot-potato-ing the head back across to the other half of the group.

This time, it landed in Aqua's hands, and instinctually, she pitched it back to Kristoff with a cry of shock.

"I don't want it," Kristoff complained, throwing it to Anna.

The snowman's body, which kept moving this whole time, turned to Anna as the head said, "Alright, we got off to a bad start."

"Ew, ew, the body!" Anna said, throwing down the head onto the body.

The snowman hit the ground with a thud. It groaned, picking itself back up, only for the group to see its head upside-down on the rest of its body.

Confused, he looked back and forth between everyone, inquiring, "Wait, what am I looking at right now? Why are you hanging off the earth like a bat?"

Anna, having gained her composure, went to the snowman and knelt in front of him. "Okay, wait a second." She gently took his head and turned it right side-up.

"Oh, thank you!" the snowman said with a smile. Anna returned the smile.

Aqua's attention was pulled from the strangest of introductions by a small hiccup. She looked to its source, seeing Nightly frozen in place, staring at the snowman but seeing nothing.

Nightly didn't know what happened. The head-tossing almost seemed comical, and she was about to laugh…when she saw how hard the snowman had hit the ground. The thud his head made when it hit the ground…she suddenly didn't see the snowman anymore, but the head of a Keyblade burying itself in the snow.

The remaining sounds of the windchime trees grew exponentially louder. In her mind, they evolved into the clash of metal on metal. It was too loud. Too loud. Too loud too loud too loud!

"Nightly," Aqua's soft voice cut through the flashback. She opened her eyes, and she was back on the snow-covered mountain, the clang of metal reverting back to its true form: the simple dance of the ice crystals on the trees.

Nightly took a deep breath, nodding slightly as she focused her attention on Anna, Kristoff, and the snowman. Aqua kept her eyes on Nightly for a moment, her brow furrowing as she saw the slightest bits of blue and green fade from her eyes before they fully returned to their normal brown.

Interestingly, it seemed the snowman now had a carrot running all the way through his head. His eyes crossed as he touched the tiny bit coming out the front of his head. "It's like a little baby unicorn," he cooed.

Anna precariously put her hand on the back of the carrot, quickly pushing it back through while the snowman's back was turned.

The snowman gave a shout of surprise before looking back down at his now-bigger nose. "Oh, I love it even more now," he gushed, grinning at Anna. He pat his sides, happy that the situation had calmed down. "Okay, let's start this thing over." He gave a little wave with his stick arm. "Hi, everyone, I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs." He ended his introduction by spreading his arms out to Anna.

"Olaf…" Anna mumbled, feeling a sense of déjà vu as she saw his innocent figure standing before her. She found the memory: her and her sister created a snowman just like him when they were little. "That's right…Olaf."

"And you are…?" Olaf asked slowly, trying to move introductions along.

"Oh, I'm Anna," Anna replied. Olaf smiled at her, turning to Sven and Kristoff.

"Who's the funny-looking donkey over there?" he asked.

"That's Sven," Anna said, gesturing to Sven.

"Uh-huh, and who's the reindeer?" Olaf asked obliviously.

Taken back, Anna answered, "…Sven."

Anna glanced back at Aqua and Nightly, giving them shrugs as Olaf muttered something about the names being easy to remember.

Olaf approached Aqua and Nightly, an annoyed glare from Kristoff trailing behind him. "And what's your name, blue girl?"

"Hm? Oh, I'm Aqua," Aqua said, realizing Olaf meant her.

Olaf let out a chuckle as he stepped to the side. "And what's your name, sad girl?"

Nightly hesitated. She glanced at Anna and Kristoff, who had just noticed the pain that she was sure was still etched on her face. She pulled a smile on her face, kneeling in front of the snowman. "My name's Nightly. It's nice to meet you, Olaf."

"You too, Nightly," Olaf said with a smile. Almost like he projected his emotions, Nightly felt her own lift. She felt her smile turn genuine, his unbounding happiness rubbing off on her.

"Ooh, you're not sad anymore, that's good," Olaf said, his smile seeming to grow.

His words once again caught Nightly off-guard. She paused before she felt a giggle escape her lips. "Yeah, you helped me feel better, Olaf. Thank you."

"You're welcome," he said cheerily, waddling back over to Anna and Kristoff.

"Are you okay?" Aqua asked Nightly quietly as she stood back up.

"Yeah," Nightly replied. "Sorry, I don't know…it's like a switch was flipped or something. I didn't see it coming…and I couldn't control it. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for," Aqua said, hearing Anna ask Olaf if he knew where Elsa was. "You're healing. This is just part of the process."

"I guess so," Nightly resolved, watching Kristoff take one of Olaf's arms off his body, bending and observing it as Olaf talked. "Does it have to be so…explosive, though?"

Anna caught the two girls' attention as she told Olaf, "We need Elsa to bring back summer."

"Summer?" Olaf asked, suddenly looking very wistful as he stared into space. "Oh, I don't know why, but I've always loved the idea of _summer_ , and _sun_ , and all things _hot_."

"Really?" Kristoff asked jokingly. "I guess you don't have a lot of experience with heat."

"Nope!" Olaf answered simply. "But sometimes I like to close my eyes and image what it will be like when summer does come," he mused as music started to float in from the background.

* * *

" **CUT!" came a shout. The author walked into the scene, sporting a red hoodie and jeans, shivering slightly in the sudden cold.**

" **Hi, NightOwl!" Nightly greeted happily, giving her a friendly wave. "Is something wrong?"**

" **Hi, Nightly," NightOwl returned with a head tilt. "No, nothing's wrong, I just need to clarify something." To the rest of the cast, she announced, "Alright, take five, everyone." She knelt down by Olaf as the other five on stage walked off to take a short break.**

" **Olaf," she began.**

" **Yes?" he asked obliviously.**

" **You know I love you," she continued.**

" **Aw, thanks! I love you, too!"**

 **NightOwl chuckled. "I love the song, and I love the movie…but I'm not SquareEnix, and I'm not Disney. Love them, but I'm not them.**

" **Anyway, that being said, it's kinda hard for me to write musical numbers without sounding…" she trailed off, trying to find the right words.**

" **Boring?" Olaf asked, seeing where the conversation was going, but understanding completely.**

" **Yeah…" NightOwl agreed, not wanting to hurt his feelings. "It's hard enough for me to write actions and words at the same time, but sudden scene changes, randomly appearing snowmen, out-of-nowhere picnics…It's a bit much."**

" **Oh, that's okay!" Olaf said, giving her a big, bright smile. "You can't hear a song with your eyes, anyway. Now** _ **that**_ **would be hard!"**

 **NightOwl gave Olaf a smile. "Yeah, it would, wouldn't it?"**

 **Olaf chuckled as NightOwl pulled Olaf in for a hug. "Ooh, hug!" Olaf gushed, returning the hug, making NightOwl laugh. She put the snowman down before nodding to him and calling the rest of the cast back to their places.**

" **Okay, guys, we're gonna take it from 'Bring back summer', okay?" Everyone nodded to her, standing where they had before.**

 **Before stepping back to Reality, NightOwl called out, "ACTION!"**

* * *

"Come on," Olaf said happily, taking Anna's hand. "Let's go bring back summer!" Anna happily agreed, running after him, Nightly following close behind.

Aqua hung behind with Kristoff and Sven. Kristoff's comment about Olaf and heat had stuck with her. "But if summer comes back, won't he…"

"Yeah," Kristoff agreed. "I mean, I don't want to, but somebody's gotta tell him."

"Hmm," Aqua thought to herself. "Well, for right now, I think we should just let him stay excited for right now. We'll figure out how to tell him later."

"Hey, guys!" Nightly called, running back to the stragglers.

"Yes?" Aqua asked.

"We're almost there," Nightly said, pointing to where Anna and Olaf had walked away to. "I can almost see the top of the mountain."

"Oh, that's great," Kristoff said, pulling on his serious demeanor again, shaking off his earlier realization as best he could.

"Are you okay?" Nightly asked him.

"Yeah, I'm great," Kristoff replied sarcastically. Nightly looked to Aqua for help.

She put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "He's fine, just grumpy," she said with a smile.

Kristoff rolled his eyes as he and Sven went to join Anna and Olaf. Nightly giggled as she and Aqua followed behind them.

* * *

"Woah," Anna breathed, gazing up with the others at the large ice palace that stood before them. Her eyes panned to the stairs that awaited them. She closed her eyes, gathering her wits before taking the first step, ignoring Olaf as he bounded up the stairs after her.

Nightly hopped up the stairs after Olaf, looking back as Aqua joined her, a bit more cautiously, considering the stairs were made of ice. She had to jump back a bit, though, when Sven started trying to run up the stairs himself. His hooves were unable to gain traction, however, and he ended up sliding back down.

"Alright, hold on, buddy," Kristoff said, grabbing the reindeer and helping him back up. "You just stay right here."He turned back to the stairs, running his hand up the rail, admiring every groove and crevice of the stairs. He whistled, "Flawless," as he began his ascent.

At the top of the stairs, Anna hesitated. Nightly reached the top in time to see her bring up her hand, but couldn't bring herself to actually knock.

"Knock," Olaf encouraged. "Just knock." Anna seemed to ignore him, deciding something within herself. Olaf leaned back to Nightly, asking, "Why isn't she knocking? Do you think she knows how to knock?"

Just as he asked, Anna steeled herself toward the door, rapping her knuckles against the thick ice. At the third knock, the door cracked open by itself.

"Wow," she said to herself, "it opened. That's a first."

"Sixty!" Olaf exclaimed, hopping up and skipping into the castle, the door staying slightly open behind him as the others heard him shout, "Hi I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!"

"Olaf," Kristoff muttered, about to stand up and get the runaway snowman.

"Kristoff," Nightly stopped him. He paused in his pursuit and let the girl continue. "If someone kept something from you, like with Anna and Elsa, what would you do?"

Kristoff settled back down, humming as he thought. "Well, I'd probably end up doing what Anna's doing, just not as quickly, I guess." He chuckled. "To be honest, I'd probably end up sulking for a while, then realize it was kept a secret for a reason, then eventually, I'd talk to whoever I had a problem with." He looked up at the balcony thoughtfully. "You know, as much as it hurts Anna, I can't imagine what Elsa was going through all those years without telling her sister what was really going on."

Nightly nodded, her gaze falling to her boots. Her brow furrowed before she nodded to herself, deciding something.

"Nightly…?" Aqua asked tentatively.

The younger girl looked up at her. "I know what I need to do," she said, determination shining in her eyes.

Aqua smiled at her, rustling her hair. "I'm glad to hear that."

"Hey, Sven," Olaf called. "Elsa ran upstairs, Anna chased her, and now it's blizzarding."

"What?" Kristoff jumped up, shoving the door open. Aqua and Nightly felt the chill of icy air billowing out of the castle. "Anna," Kristoff breathed, struggling through the inside storm to get to the staircase. Aqua and Nightly tried to follow, but a gust of wind made Nightly slip. Aqua tried to catch her from behind, but only succeeded in making herself fall.

The two were pushed to the door, but saw Kristoff reach the stairs after Olaf. "We won't be able to make it," Aqua said over the wind in Nightly's ear. Nightly nodded and the girls picked themselves up and pushed the door open.

They stumbled out onto the stairs, breathless and amazed at the calmness of the outside. Aqua shut the door behind them. Nightly gasped, looking up to the balcony high above them.

"What is it?" Aqua asked, seeing her distraught expression. Nightly ran down the stairs, Aqua following as she vaulted over the last few. Sven grunted a greeting as Nightly turned and pointed at the balcony. Aqua followed her gaze, seeing the flurries of snow swirling furiously from the top of the castle.

As she watched, the snow switched directions. What had been flowing out from the door had suddenly gone back inside, completely out of sight. Not a second later, the same blue light that had frozen the lake from earlier shot out of the window, leaving an eerie stillness in its wake.

Aqua and Nightly exchanged a glance, looking back up. A smaller flash of light lit up the castle's interior before the two heard a thunderous roar.

"What in the…?" Aqua began.

"I don't know," Nightly said softly. Muffled thuds sounded from the castle before the door flew open.

Aqua felt her heart jump to her throat as she saw a wall of snow at the door. The snow moved, turning around to show a large body, arms, and head atop the stairs. In one of his gargantuan hands, he held Anna and Kristoff, and in the other, he held Olaf.

"Go away," he growled, pitching Anna and Kristoff down the stairs. Aqua jumped off next to Nightly as they slid down, landing in the snow but not stopping until they reached a rock a few paces away.

Nightly and Aqua ran for the two as the heard Olaf shout, "Heads up!"

They turned in time to see his head thrown at Anna and Kristoff, who barely dodged it as they picked themselves up. "Watch out for my butt," Olaf said as Nightly and Aqua reached them. They looked back, all four having to duck out of the way to avoid getting a face full of Olaf.

Anna growled, scooping up a bit of snow. "It's not nice to throw people!" she shouted, winding up to the throw the snowball at the giant snowman.

Seeing what she was about to do, Aqua grabbed her throwing arm and Kristoff put an arm around her waist. "Woah, easy, feisty pants. Just let the snowman be," Kristoff said as the two successfully kept her from throwing the snowball.

"Okay, okay," Anna protested. "I'm calm." She drew herself up, beginning to walk away, before about-facing and hurling the snowball before anyone could stop her.

The snowball soared through the air, finding its target and dissipating on the snowman's arm. Without hesitation, the snowman turned, sharp icicles growing from his hands, mouth, and back as he let out another ground-shaking roar.

"Uh-oh," Nightly despaired.

"Great, now you made him mad," Kristoff chastised.

"You guys go, I'll hold him off," Olaf said. The four humans gave a collective nod, seeing Sven run by as they took off in the opposite direction.

"What are we supposed to do?" Kristoff asked desperately.

"I think we can handle it," Aqua assured them, nodding to Nightly.

Nightly nodded back, and the two wielders summoned their Keyblades, taking aim as best they could while they ran and firing spells of fire and thunder at the advancing snowman.

"Cliff," Kristoff announced, putting his arms out to stop Aqua and Nightly in their tracks. The sudden stop pushed some snow off the cliff and over the edge.

Anna watched it go. "It's a hundred-foot drop."

"Make that two-hundred," Kristoff added as a second ticked by with no sound of the snow hitting ground.

Aqua and Nightly faced the oncoming threat and shot as many spells as they could. Thunder did absolutely nothing, while the snowman seemed to be pulling so much wind around him the fire was put out before it could touch him.

Nightly's Keyblade disappeared as she put her hands on her knees, her strength and MP spent. Aqua kept going, the snowman bounding closer and closer. She paused, and Nightly recognized her expression as she fired a Shotlock at the snowman, the fire swirling outward before homing in on the snowman.

The large hit sent him backward, landing hard on the ground. Aqua slumped over in relief, Master's Defense vanishing as well. Anna jumped up, whooping in joy that the lumbering snow giant was defeated.

Her celebration was cut short, however, when the snowman began picking itself up again. The four stared in shock as it stood above them, not twenty paces away. Nightly and Aqua summoned their Keyblades, standing in front of Anna and Kristoff in a block, unable to do anything else.

A tiny movement of white caught their eyes, however, as Olaf waddled in front of the snowman's foot. "Hey guys, we totally lost Marshmallow back there." He paused at their dumbfounded expressions, his eyes going wide as he realized his mistake. He turned, looking up at the snowman as it looked down at him. "Oh, hey, we were just talking about you. All good things, all good things."

The snowman ignored him, however, bringing his foot back and bunting the smaller snowman through the air. "Hang in there, guys!" he shouted at the others as he went over the edge.

The snowman stomped on the ground, lifting his head up to the heavens. Wind rushed toward his mouth, a large snowball that put Anna's to shame forming at his teeth. He brought it down, bellowing out all the wind it stored at a breakneck speed.

The four stumbled at the edge of the cliff, unable to stop themselves from backing up. Nightly felt her feet beginning to leave the ground, and slammed the teeth of her Keyblade into the snow. It caught, and she threw her right hand back to try and help anyone who could grab it. She felt a hand, and looked back to see Aqua clinging to her, Anna and Kristoff nowhere in sight.

The snowman's winds wouldn't let up, Aqua's grip on Nightly's hand tightening. Nightly felt something slip, and before she could warn Aqua, her glove came off her hand in Aqua's grip. Aqua's eyes widened as she flew over the cliff.

"No!" Nightly screamed, reaching out desperately for her friend. As she watched Aqua disappear, she felt a familiar shift. She closed her eyes tightly.

' _No, please, not now. Not now,'_ she begged. Her eyes opened again, and instead of reaching out to catch a friend, she was reaching up, falling to the ground as her legs could no longer support her. Two feet from her hand, her own heart floated away from her, the last casualty of the Keyblade War, to join the others in the dark, overcast sky.

She blinked, and she was back on the cliffside, lying in the snow as the cold cut through her clothing. She shivered, bringing her hand to rest on her chest, where she swore she could still feel a rhythmic beating of something she knew couldn't possibly still be there.

' _How am I still alive? Why am I still here?'_ she thought to herself hopelessly. She felt sobs rising up in her chest again, this time not bothering to try and hold them in as she curled in on herself. _'I just don't understand.'_

Her exhaustion finally caught up with her, and she felt her vision begin to fade as she fought to even her breathing.

' _I just don't understand…'_

* * *

Aqua opened her eyes to a sky of white. Her back ached from the impact with the ground two-hundred feet from the cliffside, and with a start she realized she couldn't breathe.

"Aqua," she heard her name, muffled, coming from somewhere near her foot. Worried, the voice was worried…masculine…Kristoff!

She moved, trying to get to the voice. She heard crunches move to her head, and felt hands shuffle the snow encasing her body at her shoulders. A quick tug upward, and she was free, gasping for air and blinking the snow out of her eyes.

She coughed as Kristoff put her down, hands on her knees as she caught her breath.

"Are you okay?" Anna inquired. Aqua nodded, wiping the snow off her face. Something suede touched her face instead of the fuzz of her own glove. She looked down at the black material, suddenly remembering the event prior to her falling over the cliff.

"Nightly!" she exclaimed, looking around in the snow. "Where's Nightly?"

"She never came down," Kristoff said. He pointed upward, "She's still up there."

"I have to get back to her," Aqua said, squinting as she peered up the cliff.

"Yeah…that's not gonna happen," Kristoff shot back. "There's no way you can climb that, and we gotta get Anna some help."

"What? Why?" Aqua inquired, turning to Anna. She blinked at the sight of her. Her hair's small white streak had seemed to grow, with half of the braid on her right side now white as the snow.

"What happened?" Aqua asked.

"Elsa struck me," Anna explained half-heartedly.

"We have to get her to my family. They can help her," Kristoff explained. "As soon as we get her help, we'll be right back for Nightly, okay? Our place is a little east of us, and it's an easy hike back up from there."

Aqua clutched Nightly's glove, a torn look in her eyes as she looked back up the mountain. _'Nightly said Anna's a Princess of Heart. If that's true, I need to make sure she's safe.'_ Her gaze returned to Anna. _'That's what Nightly would want me to do,'_ she decided with a small sigh.

"Okay," Aqua agreed.

Anna gave a small smile. "Alright, then, let's go see the love experts," she joked.

"Love experts?" Aqua questioned.

"Yeah, I'm so excited to meet them," Olaf said from behind Aqua, making her jump. She was greeted by the happy-go-lucky snowman as well as the reindeer that had somehow found them through all the confusion.

Kristoff chuckled, beginning to walk in a certain direction, the others trailing behind him. Olaf continued, "You know, I've always considered myself a love expert, but I can't wait to meet professionals in the field."

Aqua hummed to herself, amused at Olaf's out-loud thoughts. Her gaze fell as she looked back up at where Nightly surely still was. _'I'll be back soon,'_ she thought, _'I promise.'_

* * *

Nightly jolted, shaking herself awake. She shivered against the cold of the snow, drawing a deep breath. She lay still for a moment, no longer hearing the giant snowman that had been chasing them before. She felt a biting pain in her right hand, and opened her eyes to see her glove missing. Her hand was beginning to feel numb, her fingers bright red at the loss of their source of warmth.

She pushed herself up onto her knees, cradling her hand to her chest before puffing her breath into her fists.

Her gaze trailed back up to Elsa's ice palace, and her mind flashed back to the angry giant snowman as it threw out Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf.

"She can't keep throwing Anna out like that," she reasoned with herself. "It'll only drive them apart."

She felt her own pain rise up within her again, but forced it back down. _'Anna and Elsa are more important right now.'_

Nightly stood, staring at the palace. "What if I talked to her?" she mused. "Maybe I can talk to her."

She trudged through the snow, slowly making her way back up the hill. Upon reaching the staircase, she paused when she saw a large snow mound to the left of the staircase. She eyed it suspiciously, walking along the rocky wall to the right as slowly as possible, stepping as lightly as she could so the snow wouldn't crunch.

She reached out her hand, finally touching the smooth ice of the staircase railing. The snow mound didn't move. She put a foot on the first step. Nothing. She breath a silent sigh of relief, creeping up the stairs back up to the palace.

* * *

"Come on," Queen Elsa muttered to herself as she paced back and forth. "Control it. Don't feel, don't feel, don't feel." She stopped in her tracks, looking up at the walls of the room in despair as she just noticed the red and purple-ish hue they had taken on.

"Your Highness?" said a small voice from the entrance to the room.

Elsa spun, seeing a girl in the doorway. She hid slightly from view, her gaze curious as she took in the sight of the distraught queen and the room in which she stood in.

"Who are you?" Elsa asked, exasperated.

"Just a traveler," the girl replied, stepping lightly into the room, her hands held up to show she didn't mean any harm. "My name is Nightly. I just wanted to talk to you, Your Highness."

Elsa eyed the girl, wrapping her arms around herself. "Well I'm sad to say you've come here for no reason." She turned away from Nightly. "Please just leave me alone."

"Forgive me, Your Highness, but I'm not going anywhere." Elsa looked back over at the girl, seeing the resolve in her eyes. "And, if I may say so: it looks like you could use a friend."

The Queen of Arendelle felt a pang through her heart. This girl was so…innocent. Did she not know how much danger she was in being around her?

At Elsa's silence, Nightly cautiously said, "I've met your sister. My friend and I helped her get up here. She was really excited to see you again."

Elsa's gaze trailed to the floor, her grip on her arm tightening. Nightly stepped toward Elsa, observing, "You love her very much, don't you?"

Elsa nodded slowly, "All I want is for her to be safe. I don't want to hurt her—or anyone."

Nightly nodded to herself, her face lifting as she came to a realization.

"Then don't think about what _could_ happen. Just think about what already _is_."

"What?" Elsa questioned, looking back up at Nightly.

Nightly paused before taking another step towards Elsa. "May I?" she asked, holding out her hands.

Elsa hesitated, letting go of herself and reaching her hands forward before stopping short. "But—"

"You won't hurt me, You Highness," Nightly interjected. "Trust me."

Elsa hesitated before finally gently putting her hands in Nightly's gloved and ungloved hands. She felt panic shoot through her heart when she saw the thinnest layers of ice grow across Nightly's hands as it sprouted from her own. But when she looked at Nightly, she didn't see any fear. Instead, her own fear was met with a smile.

"Nightly—" she began, trying to pull her hands away.

Nightly's grip tightened, shaking her head. "Trust me," she insisted. Elsa looked back at her, her eyes so sincere.

' _She…she's really not afraid of me,'_ she thought to herself. _'Maybe…maybe I_ can _trust her.'_

Elsa took a deep breath, letting herself relax on the exhale. She nodded at Nightly.

Nightly's smile widened. "Close your eyes."

Elsa paused a moment, nodded again, and closed her eyes.

Nightly looked down at her hands, swallowing at the slowly spreading ice that had already reached her wrists. She took a breath of her own, letting go of her unease as she spoke.

"I want you to think about the first time you used your powers, about the day you discovered you had them."

For the first time, Nightly saw a small smile grace Elsa's face. "I don't remember, actually, but my mother told me it started when I was a baby. She said I was asleep and it started snowing in my room. It stopped once I woke up."

Nightly chuckled, her own image of the event conjuring in her mind. "Now think about the day your sister was born. How did you feel?"

Elsa's mind took her back to that day. Only two years old at the time herself, she dimly remembered holding the little bundle of pink as she sat in her father's lap.

She reflected, "I…I was so happy. I didn't want to let her go. I wanted to do anything and everything for her. I was able to control my powers a bit better then, and I remember staying up late to practice so I could show her when she got a little older."

Nightly smiled, glancing down at her arms. The ice had slowed, almost stopping halfway between her wrists and her elbows.

"When did she first realize you had powers?" Nightly inquired.

Elsa chuckled. "She was about a year old, just starting to walk. She was walking across the room to me and tripped. It was almost instinct, but I created a small snow mound in front of her that caught her. She landed face-first, but when I pulled her up, she was laughing. Then she started playing in the snow. She was so happy that day."

"You kept her safe that day," Nightly said. "You would always keep her safe, wouldn't you?"

"Of course, I would," Elsa replied. "I love her."

Nightly felt the ice stop, just a couple inches from her elbow. Past her arms, she saw swirls emanating from Elsa's feet. The swirls spread around the floor, the red hue of the room evaporating along with it.

"Your Highness, open your eyes," Nightly said.

Elsa did so, following Nightly's gaze to the floor. She pulled in an amazed breath as she watched the red disappear from view as a light flurry danced across the floor, leaving a trail of gold in its wake. It climbed the walls, expelling the fiery redness until it reached the very top of the room, gathering at the center before twirling down to Nightly and Elsa, where the ice on Nightly's arms rose to join the swirls.

The two watched as the flurry rose into the air, dispelling in a puff of snow, glittering particles flitting back down like the lightest of snowfalls before disappearing altogether.

Nightly and Elsa took in the new look of the room. What once held an air of fear now had one of majesty in the golden gleam of the ice. Elsa looked down at Nightly's arms.

"The ice went away…when I wasn't afraid anymore."

Nightly's gaze trailed off in thought, seeing a connection. "If fear is what caused the winter in the first place, then maybe love will take it away."

Elsa regarded Nightly, letting the words sink in. "I think you're right," she smiled.

Nightly grinned, nodding before practically running to the stairwell. "Let's get you home, Your Highness."

"Please," Elsa replied, "call me Elsa."

"Okay," Nightly replied, holding out her hand to the Queen of Arendelle. "Let's get you home, Elsa."

* * *

Aqua…wasn't exactly sure how she got in this situation.

The five had made it to an alcove of rock, moss, and steam. After thinking Kristoff mildly insane for introducing them to a bunch of boulders, said boulders had revealed themselves to be trolls.

She decided everything had gone downhill after they had met Anna.

After one female troll had examined her, the trolls collectively decided to start telling Anna all she could have wanted (or not wanted) to know about Kristoff, calling him a "fixer-upper".

Before she knew, Aqua had had a grass shawl draped over her and a small flower crown affixed atop her head. The trolls picked her up and carried her behind where Anna and Kristoff now stood. An arch of earth stood over them, shelf mushrooms and flowers blooming from it as they stood in the small trench that had been created in the process of making the mossy structure.

She looked in bewilderment at the two in the trench, who looked back at her with just as much confusion. A troll with a book of bark approached the two. Aqua shook off her daze, and the troll's voice came back into focus.

"…to be your trollfully wedded—"

"Wait what?" Anna asked. Aqua finally understood what was happening, and couldn't help but blush in embarrassment for the two in front of her.

"You're getting married," the troll explained.

As if on cue, Anna shivered profusely. Suddenly losing feeling in her legs, she collapsed into Kristoff's arms. From behind, Aqua could see Anna's hair double in its whiteness as Kristoff said worriedly, "She's as cold as ice."

Aqua threw off the shawl and reached down to help Kristoff. She reached for Anna, her hand jerking back as she felt a pain shoot through her head and heart.

"Aqua!"

Nightly's voice resonated through Aqua, the fear of its tone filling her core with its urgency. She clutched her head, her heart beginning to race.

' _I knew I shouldn't have left her,'_ Aqua thought in panic. _'I need to get to her. Now.'_

She looked up desperately at Kristoff and Anna, seeing an older troll in front of the two, holding Anna's hands, a look of worry and concern on his face. Aqua forced herself to listen to what he was saying.

"…if it were her head, it would be easy, but…only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart."

"An act of true love?" Kristoff asked, his mind wildly searching for what may qualify.

"A true love's kiss, perhaps?" the same female troll from before suggested. At her suggestion, the trolls paired off with their significant others, each pair locked in their own kiss.

"Hans," Kristoff said, realizing. "We need to get you to Hans."

"Hans…" Anna nodded weakly, trying to turn to get out of the hole.

Kristoff pulled her close. "Sven, help us out," he said, reaching up.

Aqua shuffled to the side, letting Sven reach down with an antler and pull up his human companion. Kristoff scooped Anna up bridal style and hopped on Sven.

"Kristoff," Aqua began.

He turned to her, the look on her face stopping him in his tracks. "Yeah…?" he asked slowly.

"I have to get to Nightly. Something's wrong, I've been away for too long."

Kristoff hesitated, glancing down the path to Arendelle and then back to her. "Go," he said sternly, pointing to another path up a small overhang. "That'll take you straight back up."

Aqua nodded, "Thank you. And good luck."

Kristoff nodded wordlessly. He pat Sven's back, "Sven, let's go." The reindeer nodded in response, taking off in a mad dash as Olaf grabbed on to his fur and swung onto his back.

"Bye, Aqua!" Olaf shouted, giving a happy wave that Aqua couldn't help but chuckle slightly at.

She turned and sprinted to the path Kristoff had pointed to, summoning Master's Defense and casting Blizzaga in front of her, riding the ice trail back up the mountain.

' _Please be okay,'_ she prayed, _'please be okay.'_

* * *

Nightly winced at the pain at the back of her head, her eyes blinking open. "What in the…?" she asked herself.

She rose slowly from the cot she lay on, the world around her tipping slightly. She saw gray cobblestone surrounding her, pale light coming in from a window on her right, with a wooden door on the other side of the room.

Her head pulsed again, and she winced, clenching her teeth. She went to rub her head, only for her hand to stop short. She froze, her eyes following the chain from the shackle on her wrist to where it connected to a metal hoop on the floor in the middle of the room.

' _How did I get here?'_ she wondered, thinking back.

Her memories returned to her in a rush.

 _As the two made their way down the stairs, a loud roar split the air around them, making them stop in their tracks._

" _That was the snowman," Elsa had said. "Something's wrong."_

 _Another roar was followed by the sound of men shouting. Two shadows appeared on the other side of the door, trying to shove it open._

" _Elsa, run!" Nightly shouted, summoning Starlight as the door opened, reveling two men in red trench coats, each wielding a sword and a crossbow._

 _They charged her, and she fired Fira at them. They dodged, the one on her left firing an arrow at her. She rolled out of the way, but couldn't find her footing again from moving too fast on the ice._

 _She slipped, struggling to stand up again. The men were faster, and she felt a gloved hand grip her arm._

" _Get the queen!" he shouted to his partner as he jerked her up._

" _No!" Nightly screamed, watching the other man run up the stairs after Elsa. She pushed against the man, trying to free her arm._

 _She felt panic set in her mind._

" _AQUA!" she cried out in desperation before the hilt of the man's sword cracked against the back of her head, her vision fading to black._

Nightly sat in silence for a moment, contemplating the situation. She decided, _'I need to find Elsa and get us out of here. We need to find Anna.'_

A door creak snapped her out of her thoughts, footsteps following. She thought quickly, laying back down on the cot, pretending to still be asleep. She listened as the footsteps got closer until they stopped right outside her door. She kept her breathing as slow and even as possible, and breathed an internal sigh of relief when they moved on, continuing their pace down the hall.

Another door opened, and she heard muffled voices talking. The first was a man's, and the other…

' _Elsa!'_ Nightly strained her ears, trying to hear what was being said.

"Anna has not returned," the man's voice said.

' _She hasn't? Where is everyone? Did…did they survive the fall?'_ Nightly's breath caught in her throat, not wanting to think about the alternative.'

She continued to listen, unable to make out anything else until she heard Elsa beg, "You have to let me go."

The replied with something before the door closed and his footsteps came back down the hall. Another set met his at Nightly's door.

"Any word about the girl?" he asked.

"No, Prince Hans," came the reply. "We are still asking around, but no one seems to have heard of the child."

"Okay, continue your search. We need to return her to her family."

"Yes, Prince Hans."

The footsteps left, and another door creaked closed, leaving the place in silence.

Nightly opened her eyes, hopping up from the cot. She summoned Starlight, slamming it down on the chains, snapping them both on impact. She paused, waiting for an outside reaction. When none came, she moved to the cot, putting her left wrist on the wood and bringing down her Keyblade on the hinge. She shook off the shackle, switching hands and doing the same to her right.

Still holding Starlight in her left hand, she approached the door, gripping the handle and pulling as hard as she could on the wood. It didn't budge.

"Fine, then," she muttered to herself, taking a couple steps back and holding Starlight to the door.

The familiar beam of light shot to the door's keyhole, and a satisfying unlocking sound resounded about the room. She sent Starlight away, pulling the door open.

Nightly glanced down the hallway to her right, seeing the door Prince Hans and the other man had left the prison out of. To her left, there was one long hallway lined with wooden doors on either side. She crept out of the room, walking briskly down the hall, standing on her toes when she got to the doors, trying to see whichever one Elsa may be in.

After passing three doors on either side of her, she came to one on her right with a snowflake etched into the door. Curious, she ran a finger along the wood before hopping to see in the window.

"Elsa!" she whispered.

"Nightly?" she heard from the other side.

"Hold on," she replied. She backed up, unlocking the door with Starlight before throwing it open and rushing inside, pulling it shut behind her.

"What are you doing in here?" Elsa asked.

"I was brought here, too," Nightly answered, looking at Elsa's chains. Unlike the ones that held her, Elsa's covered her entire hands, rendering them useless.

"Hold your hands together," Nightly instructed, moving to Elsa's side and summoning Starlight.

Elsa did so as Nightly aimed Starlight at the cuffs. The beam shot from Starlight and both of Elsa's cuffs simultaneously, where they broke open and fell to the floor in a heap.

Nightly sent Starlight away again. "Thanks," Elsa said. "You have to get out of here. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"But we have to find Anna," Nightly protested. "We can get out together and find her and my friends."

"But who knows where she is?" Elsa argued. "I don't know what I'd do with myself if she got hurt because of all of this."

"That's why we have to find her," Nightly shot back. "She'll help you bring back the summer, we just have to get you to her."

Elsa's gaze trailed to the floor. "I'm not sure if that's going to happen," Elsa said, defeat coating her voice.

"What? Why not?"

"Anna hasn't come back yet, and who knows what that could mean." She hesitated. "I don't think I can do this. There's no way I could possibly stop this winter…because…there's no way _I_ can be stopped."

Nightly paused. "Who said anything about stopping you?"

Elsa hesitated. "I'm too dangerous to be around anyone. It would be best if I just left and stayed alone. That way, I won't be able to hurt anyone."

"But wouldn't you just be hurting yourself in the process?" Nightly questioned.

"Better myself," Elsa replied, sadness coating her voice, "than anybody else."

"I know you don't believe that," Nightly said, refusing to lose hope.

"Actually," Elsa replied, her gaze rising to meet Nightly's eyes, "I do."

Nightly opened her mouth to argue back, but the door to the prison opening interrupted her, angry voices echoed down the hall as two sets of footsteps pounded down the corridor.

Nightly aimed Starlight at the door, locking it tightly as two faces appeared at the window. She paused, realizing she had just locked them in. "Oops."

She felt a chill behind her, seeing Elsa shooting ice at the wall to the outside. Nightly joined her, shooting ice at the wall also.

"What do you think you're doing?" Elsa asked.

"I'm coming with you," Nightly claimed.

"No," Elsa replied, "no, you're not."

Elsa flared her hands, shooting ice to the ground. Before Nightly knew what had happened, Elsa shot a gust of icy air to the wall, effectively breaking through and jumping to the outside world, running away as snow-filled winds began to surround her.

Nightly went to follow her, but found herself unable to lift her feet. She looked down, seeing Elsa had frozen her feet to the ground, thick ice reaching from the floor to halfway to her knees stopping her in her tracks.

' _Elsa, please don't do this,'_ she begged mentally, watching Arendelle's wayward queen running away in the growing blizzard.

* * *

Aqua slid down the mountain on a trail of her own Blizzaga spell. When she reached the ice palace again, she found the stairway to the entrance half-shattered, the doors ajar.

Inside, the topmost room had ice spikes, pillars, and shards all throughout the room, with the remnants of what appeared to have once been a chandelier shattered across the floor. With neither Nightly nor anyone who may have been Elsa in sight, Aqua set back down the mountain, trying as hard as she could to get down as fast as she could.

She heard yelling in front of her, dispelling the Blizzaga and running to the source, seeing Kristoff and Sven having an argument.

"She's with her true love," Kristoff said sternly, though the slight sadness in his voice couldn't be missed.

"Kristoff!" Aqua called, stumbling to a stop in the snow.

"Aqua?" Kristoff looked up in surprise as she halted.

"I couldn't find Nightly," she explained breathlessly, "or Elsa; and the palace was a wreck. I don't know what happened, or where they could be."

Kristoff hesitated, the news catching him off-guard. He didn't need to answer, however, as a gust of wind rushed up to them, sending an icy chill mixed with flakes of snow up into the forest. They looked to the source, eyes taking in the giant blizzard-like cloud of snow that rose and grew from right by Castle Arendelle.

The two exchanged a glance, knowing only one person could make a cloud like that, both feeling a deep fear for their respective companion as they took off down the mountain. Kristoff jumped on Sven's back, the reindeer's four hooves far steadier in the snow than Kristoff's two feet.

Aqua once again cast Blizzaga, sliding down the ice alongside Kristoff and Sven as the three headed into the blizzard slowly overtaking Arendelle.

They made it to the frozen-solid water of the fjord, neither breaking stride as they continued on towards the castle.

As they went, the blizzard air suddenly turned into a wall of white, rushing right towards them. Aqua and Kristoff exchanged a glance, both bracing for the storm. Sven hunkered down, running faster as he dove into the storm, not even stumbling as he powered through.

Aqua, however, wasn't so lucky.

The gust of wind from the initial impact combated her spell to the point of halting it. She dispelled it before she could run into the chunk of ice leading the trail. The sudden change in environment along with the short stop led to her nearly face-planting on the fjord.

Kristoff continued on, not noticing Aqua's tumble. Aqua picked herself up, trying to regain her balance in the ice and wind. On her left, a tilted ship stuck in the ice caught her attention, and she struggled towards it, grabbing on to the ragged wood to steady herself. She closed her eyes, finding her sight useless in such a storm, straining her ears as hard as she could to find any source of sound other than the howling wind.

Her ears perked up, and her breath hitched in her throat. She could barely hear it, but the sound of clashing metal rang through the air before being silenced by the storm. She waited, a heartbeat passing before hearing it again. Behind the ship.

She moved along the side of the ship, running a hand along the wood to brace against the maelstrom. Reaching the helm, she squinted, just able to make out a dark, large square structure. At the center, she saw a flash before once again hearing the sound.

Curious, she left the ship, shuffling towards the sound. Halfway between it and the ship, she saw the flash was really a movement of gold, and right behind it, a figure stood, red fabric whipping madly as it was pulled to and fro in the wind.

' _Nightly!'_ Aqua began running—or more, stumbling—as fast as she could toward her friend. "Nightly!" she yelled over the whistle in the air.

The movement paused, the figure looking out at Aqua as she got closer. "Aqua?" Nightly shouted back.

Aqua tried her hardest to keep her footing on the slick ice as she scrambled to get to the structure. She finally touched stone, using it to guide her as she jumped, her feet landing on a cobblestone floor, the wind not as chaotic inside the destroyed wall of the building she found herself in.

"Aqua!" Nightly exclaimed, a relieved smile on her face. Aqua threw her arms around the girl's shoulders, pulling her close. Nightly returned the embrace, her arms wrapped tightly around Aqua's waist.

"I was so worried," Aqua cried. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Nightly replied. "Are you?"

"Yes, I'm fine." The two broke away, Aqua holding Nightly's shoulders. "We have to get to Anna. Something's wrong. Elsa's magic struck her and her heart is freezing."

"Okay," Nightly nodded, "but, I, uh…" she looked down as her words trailed off.

Aqua looked down, noticing for the first time the predicament Nightly was in. "Oh."

"Elsa wouldn't let me follow her," Nightly quickly explained, summoning Starlight again. Holding it in a reverse grip, she slammed the head into the ice holding her feet to the floor, Aqua realizing this was the movement she had seen through the snow.

Aqua summoned Master's Defense, each chipping away the ice encasing Nightly's feet. The cracks Nightly had already formed grew bigger and wider with each strike the two now made. Finally, the ice seemed to break all the way through. They paused in their work, and Nightly pulled as hard as she could on her left foot, the limb breaking out of the ice after a little bit of effort. She did the same to her right, the two breathing easier as she pulled that foot out of the ice as well.

"Where did Elsa go?" Aqua asked as they moved to the hole in the wall, peering out into the storm.

"I don't know. And now we can't see a thing in this storm," Nightly replied.

The two stared out, straining both eyes and ears for any sign of their friends. After only a moment of searching, the storm…stopped.

An unnatural pulse reverberated through the air, shaking the very atmosphere as the blizzard halted, the air clearing, giving the two full view of the frozen sea.

"There!" Nightly pointed, seeing Elsa kneeling on the ice, hands covering her face. A man in a grey cloak stood behind her, a sword in his hand.

Without so much as a cry of fear, the two jumped out of the building and ran. A thought hit Aqua, and she cast Blizzaga at the man, riding the trail it left behind. Nightly watched her go, not knowing how to follow her, but trusting her, nonetheless.

Aqua looked over the large ice arrow as it headed for the man. It was aimed right where he was about to stand.

' _Perfect,'_ she thought to herself, her eyes narrowing as she prepared to jump.

Movement caught her attention from the corner of her eye. A blur of pink and blue sped toward the man, and Aqua realized too late that it was Anna.

Anna moved too fast for Aqua to end the spell. Before she could fully grasp the situation, Anna had put herself in front of the man, raising her hand to stop the path of his sword.

"No!" Aqua and Anna both shouted. Aqua jumped from the path, moving too fast to stop herself and the arrow of ice as it slammed into Anna's back.

Starting from the impact of the Blizzaga spell, ice spread throughout Anna's body, freezing everything from her clothes to her hair in place as her entire body turned a translucent blue.

As the blade descended to her, the ice spread to her hand, freezing her fingers in place. Now solid ice, the sword shattered on impact, the force from the hit sending the man to the ground.

A small puff of air escaped Anna's lips, piercing Aqua's heart with its finality.

Elsa looked up, her heart breaking at the sight of the source of the commotion. "Anna!" she cried, jumping up, not believing her eyes.

Aqua felt her legs give out, falling to her knees. She put a hand to her heart, the ache of what she did unbearable.

Nightly rushed to her friend, sliding on her knees to her and grabbing her tightly. She pulled her close, muttering, "It's not your fault," in her ear.

Aqua numbly returned the hug, her gaze unable to leave the frozen princess as Elsa threw herself onto her sister, weeping. She felt tears prick her eyes, and buried her head in Nightly's neck, unable to face the result of her mistake any longer.

She only had a moment to mourn. Hearing a happy gasp from first Olaf, who had come out of seemingly nowhere, and secondly Nightly, she looked up, her heat lifting as she watched color beginning to return to Anna, starting from her heart and spreading quickly to the rest of her body.

Not at first noticing Kristoff's and Sven's return, she saw Sven nudge Kristoff out of the corner of her eye. He looked up, hope flooding his previously dismayed face.

Elsa felt warmth, the kind of warmth she knew could only come from her little sister. She looked up as color returned to Anna's face and breath returned to her lungs. No longer frozen in place, her hair and clothes drooped, her raised arm loosening as she blinked the daze out of her eyes.

Queen Elsa embraced her sister, newer, happier tears flowing down her cheeks. "You sacrificed yourself…for me?" she asked, holding her sister's hands.

Anna looked her sister in the eye, not knowing any other explanation as she replied, "I love you."

Olaf gasped, "An act of true love will thaw a frozen heart."

"Love?" Elsa questioned. She exchanged a glance with Nightly, who nodded eagerly. Excitement sparked in Elsa's eyes as she looked at her hands.

"Elsa?" Anna asked.

"Love," Elsa repeated wistfully, reaching her hands to the ground. Anna looked to where her hands reached, excitement flooding her own expression.

Nightly and Aqua stood, watching flakes of snow gather and rise from the ice coating the sea. Ice rose in twisting, twirling swirls from the ground, revealing the green grass that had been trapped underneath, the gray white of the snow rising to show the colors of summer that had been hidden in the storm.

The two felt themselves rise, realizing a ship that had been caught under the ice now rose in the thawed water, lifting the group safely out of the sea.

All of Arendelle watched in awe as the kingdom was surrounded by their queen's magic, banishing the winter that had previously plagued them. Following the command of Elsa's hands, the swirls of snow rose into the atmosphere, joining at the queen's zenith in a snowflake pattern before dispelling and disappearing altogether, leaving everyone in amazement as they felt the heat of summer return in winter's absence.

"I knew you could do it," Anna broke the silence, nudging Elsa playfully.

"Hands down, this is the best day of my life," Olaf declared, his body quickly sagging as his snow melted in the sudden returned heat. He held up a finger, adding, "And quite possibly my last."

"Olaf," Elsa chuckled, "hang on, little guy." With a swirl of her hand, she sent a flurry of wind his direction. The chilly breeze picked him up, reforming him and settling above his head, creating a small snow cloud that gave Olaf his own personal light snowfall.

"Oh, my own personal flurry!" he gushed.

Nightly smiled at the sight of the happy ending, her thoughts wandering back to the events she had learned about in Elsa's past.

' _If Anna had known Elsa's secret, all of this could have been avoided,'_ she figured. _'But Elsa never knew how to tell her, didn't even know if she_ could _tell her. And then all that hurt accumulated and caused this whole mess. Is that…is that what Ephemer and Skuld went through?'_

Knowing what she needed to do, Nightly looked up in time to see Anna approach the man that had been about to kill Elsa.

"Anna," the man asked, confused. "But…she froze your heart—"

Anna interrupted, "The only one with a frozen heart around here is yours." She turned, and with a second thought, sucker punched the man, sending him over the side of the boat and into the sea below.

Elsa and Kristoff busted out in laughter, while aqua and Nightly covered their mouths in shock and slight amusement.

Elsa turned to the two Keyblade wielders. "I suppose it's time for the two of you to be heading off."

Aqua shared a look with Nightly before answering, "Yes, Your Highness. It's time for my friend and I to be on our way."

"Aw, but we've had so much fun together," Anna protested.

"As much 'fun' as it's been," Elsa replied, "Keybearers are never able to stay for very long."

Aqua and Nightly froze, their eyes cutting to each other before landing back on Arendelle's queen.

Elsa gave them a sly smile. Anna looked to her sister, confused, "Keybearers? Elsa, what are you talking about?"

Elsa chuckled. "I'll tell you later, Anna." To Aqua and Nightly, she said, "Come back anytime you want. Arendelle is always open to you."

Aqua, still trying to recover, gave a small bow, "Thank you, Your Highness."

"Please," Elsa said, "just Elsa."

Aqua straightened, giving a small smile.

"Now go on. I believe you've _meddled_ enough," she said, winking at the duo.

Nightly and Aqua looked to each other again, sheepishly laughing at Elsa's words.

"Wait a sec," Anna said. Before the two could respond, the Princess had pulled the two in a group hug. They returned the embrace, bright smiles on everyone's faces as they broke apart. "Okay, now you can go, but you better come back," Anna said.

"We'll try," Aqua said. "It's been wonderful meeting you all, but…we have some friends we should be getting back to. Right, Nightly?" she said pointedly.

Nightly paused, gazing at the ground before looking up at the Master, a content smile gracing her lips. "Yeah."

* * *

Ephemer sat on the steps of Yen Sid's clock tower, the previous events he, Skuld, and Lea had been through replaying over and over again in his mind.

His thoughts were interrupted by the door closing. He didn't look, knowing it was Skuld as she sat beside him. "Hey," she said half-heartedly.

"Hey," he returned with just as much enthusiasm. The two fell into silence.

"I've been thinking," Skuld began. "About what happened in Corona."

Ephemer stayed silent, letting her continue. "Rapunzel, she…she spent her whole life locked in that tower. She wasn't allowed to leave, wasn't allowed to talk to anyone, or talk about leaving, for that matter. She wasn't even allowed to think about things that woman didn't want her to think about."

Ephemer's gaze rose to her, his heart already knowing where she was going with this.

She continued, "Is that…is that what we put Nightly through?"

He stayed silent, not having an answer to give her but no answer needed. They both already knew it.

Their collective silence was interrupted by a Corridor of Light appearing before them. They stood, not knowing who would be coming through.

They blinked, and Nightly stood in front of the Corridor. Ephemer and Skuld could have sworn they felt their hearts stop as they locked eyes with their wayward friend.

Aqua appeared next to her, stopping as she saw the staring contest between the three as the Corridor closed behind her.

That seemed to break the spell. Nightly took the first step, striding quickly to the two on the steps. They broke the stare, their gazes falling to the ground as they heard Nightly approach them.

She stopped at the first step, and the two waited for a sniff, a reprimand, a slap, _something_.

Instead, they felt Nightly take hold of their wrists in a vice grip. They looked up in surprise, meeting her eyes as they searched their own. They held the look for a moment before Nightly opened her mouth to say something.

It closed again, as did her eyes as she tried to gain the words she wanted to say. She began again, "I need to know your side."

The statement caught Ephemer and Skuld off guard. "What?" Ephemer asked.

"I need to know your side," Nightly repeated. "Your side to all of this…this mess." Tears welled in her eyes as she continued, "If I don't know…then I'll just keep hating you," she sobbed, "and I don't want that. So please, tell me your side."

Ephemer and Skuld exchanged a glance, smiling to each other before looking back at Nightly.

"Okay," they both agreed.

* * *

 **Okay, guys, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and learning what I could do differently to improve myself.**

 **One of those said improvements includes what happened to Lea, Ephemer, and Skuld in Kingdom of Corona. The whole idea was that Nightly was going to learn what Ephemer and Skuld may have been feeling through all of this through her adventure in Arendelle. It didn't occur to me until the middle of this chapter that Ephemer and Skuld could have learned what Nightly was going through as they went through Kingdom of Corona. I would like, one day, to explore their story and combine both Nightly's and Aqua's adventure as well as Lea's, Skuld's, and Ephemer's. Let me know if you guys want to see that, too.**

 **Now, I'm really excited to show you guys something. If you pop over to my DeviantArt account ( nightowl9810) you will find the first of many character concept arts that will be coming y'all's way. The first group of concepts will include a small excerpt that will touch a bit on their personalities. Check it out and let me know what you guys think!**

 **Okay, I'll see you guys next time, where we will get a look into the past and see a different side of an all-too-familiar story. See you next time!**


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